Aura Shinobi
by guardsmansparky
Summary: In an attempt to become more powerful, six-year old Naruto attempts a summons. When it goes terribly wrong, a god-like being takes pity on the poor boy and sends him home, but not before granting the aspiring ninja a guardian and teacher.
1. Chapter 1

In a village hidden in the leaves, the day's quiet tranquility was broken by the enraged shouts of an angry mob.

"Demon!"

"Monster!"

"Freak!"

"Get 'im!"

"Where'd he go!?"

Setting her book down, the librarian looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows of the library in disapproval. The mob milled around, screaming obscenities about the target of their ire, before one member pointed and screeched out an alert.

"OVER THERE!"

"GET 'IM!"

With that, the mob thundered off after what they thought was a little boy of six years, the same boy that had snuck into the library and had hidden behind some bookshelves.

Naruto Uzumaki sniffled as he sat in a dark corner, tears leaving tracks in the dust over the three whisker-like scars on each cheek. His skinny, undernourished arms hugged his knees, his baggy and ratty clothes torn and soiled by the mob. He couldn't understand. Why did all the villagers hate him so?

The librarian, hearing the sobs, closed her book and went to find the source of the noise, not recognizing the sounds as those of crying. She had an idea of who-_no, what!_- was making that sound, and she'd be damned if she allowed the demon-child of Konoha to sully _her_ library. Turing the corner, the sharp reprimand on her lips died on her tongue when she saw the mess that was Naruto. Suddenly, the librarian saw Naruto for who he was; not a demon pretending to be a child, but a hungry, lonely orphan hated almost universally by Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Suddenly ashamed, she turned away.

"Kid." Naruto looked up, eyes tearing over once more as he was sure the librarian was going to kick him out into the arms of the mob. "Stay as long as you need." With that, the library scurried away, determined to do something right by the child for once.

Naruto sat there in the dark for a long while, trying to figure out why the librarian hadn't thrown him out like each and every other time she'd caught him trying to read in the library. Deciding to take advantage of the librarian's offer before she changed her mind and kicked him out, Naruto dried his eyes and went to the history section. The history of the ninja village of Konoha, also known as the Village Hidden in the Leaves, had always fascinated Naruto. The awesome powers of the Hokages, past leaders of the village, fascinated the blonde boy. He read about the First's ability to mold earth and water chakra together to create wood chakra, the Second's affinity with water chakra that allowed him to manipulate the water in the air without a water source, the Fourth's godlike ninjitsu that let him teleport instantaneously. But what captured Naruto's imagination the most was the summons of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

As he read about the many battles fought and won by the Third alongside his faithful monkey summons, Naruto came to the conclusion that if he were to become the next Hokage, he'd need an awesome and powerful summons of his own. Purpose in mind, Naruto stood and went to search for what information on ninja summons. So intent on finding what he was looking for, Naruto didn't notice how dark it had become outside, nor did he notice the sandwich left on a plate on the table for him.

Since it was a civilian library, the information was limited, but from what he could gather, he puzzled out needing three things to summon. One, he needed to be able to use chakra, a lot of it, but being only 6 years old, 'a lot' meant different things than it did to an experienced Ninja, or even a rational adult civilian. Two, he needed a contract, which to Naruto simply meant he needed a piece of paper saying "let's be friends" that both parties could sign. He felt that part was rather silly, to his knowledge children didn't sign anything when making friends, but either way, wouldn't that mean he needed to find a talking animal to sign it first?

The third part seemed rather simple to Naruto. All he needed to do to summon an animal to him was to make five simple hand seals while channeling chakra. Easy. Steeling himself for what he was about to do, Naruto cleared an area around him, and meticulously went through each hand sign a number of times, just to ensure he had it down. Once that was done he found a blank piece of paper, and drew up a 'contract' for whatever he summoned to sign. By 6 year old standards it was airtight, and would hold up to any amount of scrutiny. To anyone else it simply read "I, _, do swear to be best friends with Naruto Uzumaki, and agree to help him become the best Hokage ever. This includes allowing Naruto to summon me so I can help him when he needs it, as long as I'm not busy and stuff. In return Naruto will help me out and be a good friend as well."

Deciding that this was the best contract ever written, Naruto began to make the required signs, instinctively pushing as much chakra as he could into his hands. With the final gesture, Naruto pushed his hand onto the blank summons contract on the floor with a cry.

"Summoning Te-"

There was a crack of power and light, and Naruto was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto opened his eyes to find himself floating in a dark void.

"Hello?" Nothing answered. Before Naruto could start panicking, a dread feeling came over the orphan. Turning slowly around, he came face to…thing…with a monster of evil and shadow. Screaming in terror at the eldritch abomination, Naruto tried to flee, but found he could do nothing but float there and thrash his arms and legs as the thing's shadowy tendrils reached out to do Kami knew what to Naruto.

"HELP! Somebody, Help!"

Just as the tendrils were about to coil around Naruto's ankle, a searing beam of light and energy pierced the shadowy horror, reducing it to ash and bad memories in a blink of an eye. Blinking away the afterimage of the blinding ray, Naruto followed its path to its source, an absolutely massive serpentine black, red and grey dragon with a yellow face mask and spikes and black tendril-like wings tipped with red. Screaming in more terror, Naruto tried again to escape.

_"Calm child. Giratina means you no harm."_

Naruto turned to find a towering grey goat-like being with what looked like a golden spiked wheel bisecting it. Flanking it on either side were two enormous dragons, one pearly white biped with pink highlights, and the other a quadruped of the deep blue of the deepest ocean with silver highlights on all fours. Three more beings smaller than Naruto flittered around them, one red, one yellow, and one blue. The goat being tilted its head in a nod. _"My name is Arceus, god of Pokémon. What is your name, child?"_

Naruto swallowed nervously. "N-Naruto, and I'm going to be the next Hokage, believe it!" Naruto paused. _What's a pokémon?_

_"A worthy goal for one with such potential."_ Arceus nodded, and gestured to itself and its companions. _"As for your question, we are pokémon."_ Naruto started. Could Arceus… _"Read your mind? Yes. Now, how did you get here?"_ Arceus tilted his head to the side. _"I see. Trying to summon a being from another plane or dimension without a target was very foolish of you, Naruto. If it weren't for Uxie here,"_ Arceus nodded at the yellow being flitting around. _"I very much doubt that we would have been able to save you in time. Now, aside from that, I am afraid that I cannot help you with a summons at this time."_ Naruto's face fell, only to brighten again at Arceus's next words. _"However, I can send you a guardian, one who can teach you to use you gifts and your curse to your advantage?"_

Naruto blinked at Arceus' words. "Cursed?"

_"I am afraid that it is not my place to explain. All shall be revealed to you when the time is right. When that time comes, understand that the Third cares for you very much, and that while he is wise and worldly, even wise men can make mistakes."_ Arceus raised his head regally. _"Now, it is time for you to return home. Watch for your guardian, you will know him when you see him."_ Arceus nodded to the dragons on either side of him and behind Naruto. _"Palkia, Dialga, Giratina, if you'd please."_

The three dragons moved to surround Naruto in a triangle formation, eyes glowing white as they used their powers. Palkia tore open the fabric of space below Naruto as Dialga did the same to the fabric of time. As the vortexes of space and time began to spin around the ninja-aspirant, Giratina let loose with his power. The master of the void between dimensions, the Renegade Pokémon's power flowed into the spinning vortex, connecting the tear in space and time to Naruto's home dimension.

The creation trio's eyes returned to normal as the vortex of energy died away, the boy successfully sent home. Arceus nodded to the three legendary dragon types, dismissing them to return to their lairs. _"Now, who to send to Konoha? Ah, I know just the one…"_

(-o-)

Naruto reappeared in the library in a flash of blue, purple and pink light. Looking around giddily, Naruto decided to leave the building of knowledge before he got in trouble. As he ran out into the early morning sun, Naruto realized just how hungry he was. Jogging over to the market, Naruto began to watch the already packed foodstalls with a barely contained hunger. He sat dejected, as Ichiriku Ramen, the only place in the market that welcomed Naruto, was unexpectedly closed. He couldn't quite make out what was written in the note on the door, but Naruto had been able to pick out the words for 'family' and 'emergency.' Sighing, Naruto resigned himself to going hungry for the morning. As he got up off the crate, a shadow loomed over him.

"Wha' do yer think yer doin' here, freak?"

Naruto turned around to find a very drunk looking man seething above him. Naruto grimaced as the drunkard's foul body odor washed over him like a wave of rancid sushi. The drunk stepped forward with a snarl. "I bet yer th' reashon mish Ayame's moth'r hadda go to th' hoshpital. You put a curse on her, didn' cha?"

Naruto's head spun. The nice lady that gave him ramen, sweet, delicious ramen was sick? "I-I don't-I didn't-"

"You bashterd. You cursed Mishes Takumi so'd she'sd die!" Naruto backed away fearfully from the growing crowd surrounding him. Panicking as the drunkard's thrown bottle of hard liquor smashed against the wall beside him, Naruto bolted. The reaction caused the crown to come to a verdict: guilty. With an angry roar, the crowd became a mob as it began to hunt down the unfortunate child.

On a rooftop above the market, a lanky figure in the uniform of the elite ANBU black ops wearing a ceramic dog mask cursed. When the Third had asked for volunteers to covertly watch over and protect the son of his late sensei, the ANBU known to his peers as Dog was the first to volunteer. He couldn't have predicted the sheer amount of trouble the young Uzumaki would get into on a near daily basis. And once again, it appeared that his young assignment was being chased by another mob of angry civilians. _Looks like I'll have to genjutsu up a false Naruto for them to follow. Again._ Sighing in exasperation, Dog began to jump after the mob from rooftop to rooftop to get within genjutsu range.

Naruto turned a corner into a dead end. Turning around, he started to hyperventilate as his escape was cut off by the angry mob out for blood. His blood. As the group slowly advanced with malignant intent, Naruto backed into a corner and curled up, praying to Kami, and Arceus, for a way out of his predicament. Atop the roofs, Dog cursed. His genjutsu wasn't powerful enough for a mob that size, necessitating personal intervention. Reaching up to grasp the grip of his ninjato, Dog instead fell flat on his bum with a surprised squawk as something blitzed by him too fast to see. Looking down into the alley, Dog's eye widened as he beheld the cloaked figure standing between Naruto and the bloodthirsty civilians. One arm was held out, with what Dog assumed was a black glove with a metal spike on the back pointed defensively at the mob. For a long moment, the world stood still.

The instant one of the civilians stepped forward though, the cloaked stranger exploded into motion. As a well-trained ANBU veteran, Dog was nonetheless barely able to keep track of the stranger's movements. To him, it was like watching an artist at work, almost as good as the latest Icha Icha Paradise to be published. However, if the stranger's actions were art to the ANBU watching from above, it was a nightmare for the poor, idiotic civilians that foolishly chose to assault a child decreed to be under the Third's personal protection.

Dog watched with interest as the stranger's glove was enveloped with what appeared to be lightning chakra, shocking several unfortunates into twitching unconscious heaps in the time it took a hummingbird to sneeze. Dog blinked as the stranger's other gloved hand was encased in ice chakra, freezing a dozen civilians in blocks of blue ice with unnatural speed. The remaining civilians fled in terror as the stranger's fists caught fire, nearly sending Dog's eyebrows through the top of his mask. _Lightning, Ice, _and_ Fire elemental chakra? Who is this guy? Where is he from? _Dog frowned when he saw the stranger kneel before Naruto. His frown deepened when the cloaked stranger stood and picked up his young charge. Before he could intervene and _request_ that the stranger put the kid down, the cloaked figure disappeared with a shimmer of movement. Dog cursed as he rubbed his face beneath his dog mask. The Third would _not_ be happy. Still, on the bright side, that lightning covered punch that guy had used gave him an idea for his own technique. He'd have to report this in first, though. With a sigh, Dog shunshined away in a flurry of leaves.

(-o-)

Naruto watched in awe as the cloaked stranger took down two dozen assailants in the time it took him to eat a bowl of ramen from Ichiriku Ramen. Even when considering how quickly Naruto ate their ramen though, what fascinated the whisker-marked boy was that the guy in the cloak used elemental jutsus, sealless jutsus to boot. Wide-eyed in wonderment, Naruto watched as the stranger approached him, completely ignoring the fleeing civilians. As the hooded man knelt before him, Naruto started as he realized that the stranger before him was not a man. In fact, he wasn't even human. Kneeling before the amazed boy was a bipedal canine with a blue and black furred face.

"_Hello, my name is Lucario."_

Naruto swallowed nervously. "H-hi, Lucario. I'm Naruto." Naruto paused before tilting his head. "Did Arceus send you?"

Lucario chuckled. _"Yes. I am to be your teacher. Now, shall we be going?"_

Naruto frowned. "Going where?"

Lucario chuckled warmly again. _"To begin your training."_ Naruto grinned. "Great! What're we waiting for?"

With another good-natured chuckle, Lucario picked up Naruto. _"Hang on."_ Naruto clasped his hands around Lucario's hooded head. _"__Extremespeed__." _With an unbelievable burst of speed and acceleration, Naruto found himself gaping at the colorful blur that the rest of the world had become. Just as he realized the sheer speed at which they were travelling, they suddenly came to a stop, the world snapping back into focus.

Naruto looked in awe at the forest glade Lucario had stopped in. "Where are we?"

"_Somewhere I can teach you without interruptions."_ Naruto turned to find that Lucario had shed his cloak, revealing the tan fur of his stomach and the metal spikes on his chest and hands. The Pokémon sat cross-legged on a stump and gestured to another stump before him. _"Come. Sit."_ Naruto sat cross-legged on the offered stump. _"Now, I understand that you are to enter school soon."_

Naruto blinked in surprise. "How'd you know?"

"_Arceus told me. He also told me of your current…living conditions."_ Naruto slumped, hanging his head in shame. _"There is no need to be ashamed. The circumstances are beyond your control."_

Naruto nodded, then tilted his head as something occurred to him. "How are you talking with your mouth closed?"

Lucario _hurfed_ a short chuckle. _"It's an ability called telepathy."_ Naruto stared at Lucario in amazement. "You can read minds?!" _"Oh, so you know that word? I'm impressed, most humans your age from my world wouldn't even know how to say that word."_ Naruto muttered something about libraries and hiding from mobs before allowing Lucario to continue. _"But no, I only have limited telepathy. I can project my thoughts to others' minds but I cannot read them."_

Naruto frowned, scrunching up his face as he thought. "How do you do that?"

"_It's merely an application of one's aura."_

"Lucario-_sensei_, what's an aura?"

"_Aura is an energy that every living being in every cosmos possesses. They may not be able to feel it, or even know about it, but those who can harness their aura are capable of incredible feats."_

"So…it's chakra?"

"_That is another way it is known, yes. Now, let's get started. First, close your eyes. Feel inside for your aura…"_


	3. Chapter 3

_Six years later…_

Lucario was impressed with the progress his young pupil had made over the last six years. Under the steel/fighting pokémon's tutelage, Naruto had learned a form of taijutsu that emphasized and encouraged his reputation as 'Konoha's most unpredictable.' Although, while Lucario had redirected some of Naruto's more disrupting tendencies, the boy still pulled off elaborate pranks that resulted in multi-hour chases through the streets and over the rooftops of Konoha. While Lucario tolerated and considered these childish antics as good evasion training, he would be lying if he said he didn't get a good chuckle out of the pranks and subsequent pursuits. However, Lucario had quickly put a stop to skipping classes in order to pull off said pranks.

An open-palm strike passing a hairs-breadth from his muzzle brought Lucario back to the taijutsu session at hand. Flicking out a trio of kicks, Lucario silently assessed his pupil's performance. In the six years since Lucario had taken Naruto Uzumaki under his wings, Naruto's skills in unarmed taijutsu had skyrocketed, making the blonde in the running for who had the best taijutsu in the academy, right behind Sasuke Uchiha. It also helped that Naruto had extraordinary stamina, thanks in part to the boy's 'tenant.' Lucario parried and countered a pair of snapping kicks to the head and torso, sending Naruto sliding back several feet as the Pokémon recalled learning just why the boy had two aura signatures…

(-o-)

_Six years earlier…_

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned as Dog gave his report. "You mean to tell me that you let a stranger, possibly a missing nin, with unknown abilities along with the ability to manipulate ice, fire and lightning elements knocked out a mob of civilians and took Naruto, and all you did was stand there?"

Dog nodded ashamedly. "It happened so fast, I didn't even get a chance to use _it._"

The Third Hokage slammed a fist into the desk, splintering the aged wood. "Dammit! We need to find him! Aside from the fact that he has the Kyuubi and who his parents were, we cannot afford another incident like the one we had with Kumo last year. Send out the ANBU, hell, get Danzou and his ilk to help if you absolutely have to, but we need to find him before anyone can hurt him!"

"_That will not be necessary."_

Sarutobi and Dog immediately dropped into fighting stances and prepared to unleash their _jutsu_ against the cloaked intruder as the ANBU bodyguards in the rafters dropped down, surrounding the mysterious figure. Dog snarled at the cloaked intruder.

"You! Where's Naruto?"

"_He is safe in his apartment."_

"Why should I believe you?"

"_Why would I come here to tell you if I was lying?"_

Sarutobi dropped his guard slightly. "Then why are you here?"

"_Because I was sent here to teach Naruto and protect him from those who would do him ill."_

Sarutobi dropped his stance completely, preparing a _kawarimi_ just in case. "And who sent you?"

"_Before I can answer that, what I say cannot leave these walls._"

Sarutobi nodded. "If it will not hurt the village, then it will stay in this room."

"_I, am Lucario, a pokémon, what you would call a summons._" Dog and the ANBU who had dropped from the ceiling recoiled as the stranger dropped his hood, revealing a blue and black canine head. _"Yesterday, Naruto attempted to create a summoning contract in order to emulate you, Hirozen Sarutobi, Third Hokage of Konoha, Village Hidden in the Leaves. Instead, the boy reverse summoned himself into the void between dimensions. My Lord Arceus and his kin rescued Naruto and sent him back here. While my Lord could not yet create a summoning contract for Naruto, Lord Arceus promised to send Naruto a guardian and teacher. Thus, he sent me here to do so."_

Sarutobi nodded, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "It is indeed fortunate that your lord was able to help Naruto. He always was lucky in that regard. I assume Arceus is a boss summons?"

"_We pokémon prefer the title of legendaries, however, as the being who may or may not have created our universe, Lord Arceus is far beyond the level of boss summons."_

"I see." Sarutobi and Dog exchanged looks. _Good Kami, Naruto's befriended a god._

Lucario sat crosslegged on Sarutobi's desk. _"Now, I have a question for you, Lord Hokage. Why does Naruto have two au-ahem-chakra signatures?"_

Sarutobi sighed and sat in his chair, dismissing Dog and the two ANBU bodyguards. "I suppose if you are going to be teaching him, you will need to know the truth. Six years ago, on October the tenth, the nine-tailed fox demon known as the Kyuubi no Yoko attacked the village…"

(-o-)

_The present day…_

Lucario returned to the present from his wanderings in his memories as Naruto deflected a kick powerful enough to shatter stone. Lucario blocked a similar kick, followed up by a pulled punch surrounded by lightning. _"__**Thunderpunch!**__"_ Naruto smacked upside-down into a tree face-first. Coming into a sitting position, Naruto rubbed the back of his head as he twitched sporadically from the leftover electricity.

"Aw, c'mon Lucario-_sensei_, you said no _jutsu_."

"_True, but consider it a lesson not to trust your opponent to not fight dirty. Not everyone holds honor in the same high regard as you or me."_

"Yes sensei."

"_You have done well with your training, Naruto. Now remember, tomorrow is your last chance to graduate from the academy as a genin."_

"Yes _sensei_."

"_Do you remember why you failed the tests the last two times?"_

"Yes _sensei_, I neglected my academic studies. But I'll pass this time, believe it!"

Lucario smiled. _"Good. I regret to say that I must return to my world for a while, as Lord Arceus has something I need to do."_

Naruto didn't look happy, but he nodded anyways. "Yes _sensei_."

"_Good. Now remember to keep up with your aura control exercises, and I'll be seeing you before too long._"

With that, a pink gash was torn from the very air with a terrifying roar. Lucario nodded once to Naruto, who bowed in return, before stepping through the spacial rend. Once Lucario was through, the spacial rend snapped shut like it had never been there in the first place. Naruto put his goggles back on before running through the trees back to Konoha.

(-o-)

Naruto sighed dejectedly as he sat atop the Hokage memorial. He couldn't understand it. He had studied so hard, and yet, none of the questions on the test had made any sense, and some of them he hadn't even seen the source material for. Sure, he could have passed if he had been able to successfully complete the three academy _jutsus_, and while he had completed the _henge_ and the _kawarimi_ successfully, his earth clones and water clones ended up looking like wax figurines someone had put in an oven. _Dammit._ Naruto slammed a fist against the rock, leaving a small dent. _It's not fair. I was so close. I'll never be Hokage now._

"Hey Naruto."

Naruto looked up. "Oh, hey Mizuki-_sensei_, what's up?"

"The Hokage has given me permission to give you a special test to see if you truly are worthy of becoming a ninja."

Naruto looked at Mizuki. "Why?"

Mizuki frowned. "Because it's come to light that some of the _senseis_ may have been trying to make you fail."

Naruto's eyes lit up. "So, I get another chance? To become a ninja?"

Mizuki nodded. Naruto started jumping for joy, until he remembered Lucario's words. _Not everyone holds honor in the same regard as you or me._ Naruto kept up the grin though as he thought about what he was going to do. "So, what's the test, I'll pass it no problem, believe it!"

(-o-)

Naruto sat on the log as he read the Scroll of Seals from Old Man Sarutobi's office. _Shadow clones, huh? Sounds like fun. Let's try it._ "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" With clouds of smoke, the small clearing was suddenly filled with half a dozen shadow clones. "Sweet it worked."

**"BELIEVE IT!"** Naruto was knocked over by the shadow clones' massive shouted catchphrase. With a giggle, Naruto dispelled the clones. "Awesome."

"Naruto." Naruto looked up to find his academy teacher Iruka Umino standing over him.

"Oh, hey Iruka-_sensei_. Um, you're not supposed to be here."

Iruka had been about to tell Naruto how much trouble he was in, but Naruto's serious and uncharacteristic reply had thrown Iruka off. "What?"

Before Naruto could tell Iruka the plan, Mizuki dropped down in front of Naruto, not noticing his fellow teacher from the academy. "Naruto, give me the scroll."

"No."

"What?"

"I said no."

Mizuki looked ready to strangle Naruto before Iruka jumped between Naruto and the traitor, decking Mizuki with a well placed right-cross. Mizuki jumped back and looked at Naruto with such hatred that Naruto could only stare as the traitor threw a massive shuriken half as long as Naruto was tall at him. Naruto stared in horror as Iruka jumped in front of him and took the shuriken in the back. "I-Iruka-_sensei_…"

"Naruto…run, get the scroll away from here…it contains hi-hidden _Jutsus_ that could put our village in danger."

"I-I know _sensei._"

"Wha-?"

Mizuki interrupted Naruto and Iruka's conversation with a disturbed laugh. "He just doesn't want you to have the power on that scroll, Naruto."

"No, you're lying! Stop lying Mizuki!" Iruka coughed up blood as he yelled at the traitor.

"Me, lying?" Mizuki gave a deranged chuckle. "If anything, you're the one who's lying! Allow me to reveal the truth to you."

"No!" Iruka tried to stand, only to fall to his knees as his legs gave way. "Don't do it Mizuki!"

"Do you want to know why everyone hates you? Twelve years ago, a nine-tailed fox demon attacked the village. When it was defeated, the Fourth Hokage sealed it _inside you!_"

Naruto took a step back. "What? No…"

"Everyone hates you, even Iruka."

"Y-you're wrong…I don't hate him." Naruto looked at Iruka, who finally managed to lurch to his feet. "It's true, I used to think of Naruto as-gnng-as the demon and blame him for my parents' and friends' deaths, until I saw the-the pranks he did. Just trying to get attention…gya…just like I used to. When I saw that bit of-of myself in Naruto, I realized that you can seal a kunai in a scroll, but that scroll won't be a-gah-kunai."

Mizuki stood there picking at his nails, looking bored. "Yes, yes, that's very touching, but I'm afraid it's time for you to die." Mizuki drew his second large shuriken. "Die!"

The windmilling blades flew towards Naruto. Iruka tried to protect Naruto a second time, but his jump turned into a collapse as his legs gave way. Naruto merely glared at Mizuki before blitzing a series of handsigns. "**Mamoru!**" A shimmering barrier surrounded Naruto just as the windmilling shuriken reached him. Bouncing off the barrier, the shuriken smashed into a tree off to the side, several severed branches and limbs falling to the forest floor. Mizuki nearly fell off his branch with astonishment.

"What!? What the heck was that!?"

Iruka wanted to know the same thing. He only _Jutsu_ he'd seen even remotely similar to that barrier was the Hyuuga clan main branch's **Hakkeshō Kaiten**, but that required the user to spin in place and expend an exorbitant amount of chakra. Naruto hadn't even had to do that. Boy were the Hyuuga gonna be mad.

Naruto gave a grim smile. "That was a technique my master calls 'protect.' It creates an impenetrable barrier that surrounds the user. Timing is key though, it only lasts a few moments." Sure enough, the shimmering barrier flickered and died. "Now, lemme show you what else my _sensei_ taught me." Naruto crossed his arms. "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" The clearing was filled with smoke. When it cleared, there were dozens of Narutos around the clearing and in the trees. The original pointed a finger at a suddenly sweating Mizuki. "Get 'im!" Mizuki shrieked like a girl as the army of orange jumpsuit clad clones jumped him. However, Mizuki quickly regained his composure long enough to dispel several clones before the rest began to play badminton with his body.

"Ow! Stop! Doing! Ow! That! Ow! Put! Me! Down!"

Naruto looked to his clones. "Well, you heard him. Put him down." With that command, one of the shadow clones jumped up and spiked Mizuki into the soft earth of the forest.

"Ow."

Naruto cracked his knuckles as Mizuki staggered to his feet, spewing all sorts of blue invective at the blonde boy standing in front of him. "Okay boys, let's finish this." Naruto began to rapidly spin his arm, channeling chakra into his fist, creating a vacuum as Mizuki moved in for the kill. "**Shinkū Name!**" Naruto's fist snapped out in a punch as the vacuum shot a shockwave at Mizuki with a loud _crack!_ Mizuki staggered back before being sent flying through a tree as the shadow clones followed through with their own vacuum waves. His body snug in an impression of himself in a tree, Mizuki groaned, a high-pitched, squeaky thing, before mercifully passing out.

Iruka sat slack-jawed as Naruto dispelled the shadow clones and reeled back from the memory backlash as he received each clone's memory. "Whoa, didn't know they did that."

Iruka could only stare at the boy walking towards him. There was no earthly way Naruto should have failed his last graduation exam, much less the first two. It made Iruka suspect that some of his fellow academy teachers had been intentionally sabotaging Naruto's learning career. He'd have to discuss this with the Hokage. But right now, he needed to right a wrong.

"Naruto. Come here and close your eyes." Naruto walked over and knelt by the sprawled out Iruka.

"What's wrong, Iruka-_sensei_?"

"Just-just close your eyes." Naruto closed his eyes. He felt Iruka doing something with the goggles resting on his forehead. "Naruto, it is my greatest pleasure to say that you are now a graduate of the Konoha Ninja Academy. Congratulations." Naruto just about jumped with joy when he felt the Konoha headband that used to be Iruka's on his head until he heard Iruka grunt. "Urgh." Iruka contorted in agony. "I'm gonna need a medic."

Naruto patted Iruka carefully on the back. "Don't worry Iruka-_sensei_, the ANBU should be here shortly."

"The ANBU-you had this all planned, didn't you?"

"Um, ehehe, yeah." Naruto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, something Mizuki-_sen_-ahem-Mizuki said rubbed me the wrong way, so I wnet to the Old Man, and well, went from there."

Iruka shook his head. "And people think you're a dense knucklehead. Boy were we wrong."

The ANBU arrived shortly thereafter, to Iruka's and Naruto's relief. "Hey Cat!" The ANBU wearing a cat mask that Naruto had addressed nodded.

"We'll take it from here, Naruto. We'll be talking with you later. For now, you may go home while we deal with Mizuki and the Scroll of Sealing and get Iruka to the hospital."

Naruto watched as Iruka was carefully placed on a stretcher. The scar-faced teacher turned his head to Naruto. "Remember, graduation is on Monday. _Don't_ be late."

Naruto grinned like an idiot as he replied. "Don't worry Iruka-_sensei _, I wouldn't miss it for the world, believe it!"

Iruka watched as Naruto bounded away. "Make me proud, kid."

**(AN: The two techniques used by Naruto are protect and vacuum wave, two techniques I figured that Lucario would be able to teach Naruto, seeing as they are techniques that Lucario can learn.)**


	4. Chapter 4

Naruto sat in the back corner of the classroom, feet up on the desk as the rest of the class filtered in. A feral-looking boy with red triangular marks beneath his eyes sat backwards at the desk in front of Naruto, a small white puppy sitting on top of his head. "What are you doing here? You failed! Seriously, what are you even doing here?" Naruto sighed, shaking his head. "First off, I did pass, Kiba. See the headband? Apparently, several of the senseis were screwing with my homework and training and trying to make me fail so that I'd never become a ninja." Naruto gave a foxy looking grin. "It didn't hurt that I took out a traitor that night, either, believe it!"

Kiba shook his head in disbelief, eliciting a startled yelp from the puppy on his head. "Sorry Akamaru." He turned his attention back to Naruto. "Why the hell would they do that?"

"Can't say, it's an S-class secret."

Kiba seemed to turn red for a moment before settling down. "Is that what happened to Mizuki-sensei?"

Naruto shifted in his chair. "Maybe."

Before Kiba could say anything else, Iruka entered the room. "QUIET! Thank you. Now, I'm going to hand out team assignments. Team one…"

"Sensei, why is the dobe here?" Naruto glared at the arrogant-looking raven-haired boy that spoke up. _Stupid Sasuke-teme, obviously I've graduated. Can't he see the head-band?_ Iruka answered Sasuke's question before Naruto could make a retort..

"Because, Mr. Uchiha, while Naruto's grades weren't enough to pass, said grades do not reflect Naruto's skill due to tampering by certain people who shall remain unnamed for the time being. Now, as I was saying before I was interrupted, Team One…"

Naruto phased out Iruka's voice as he spaced out into that place he went when he was deep in thought. Idly wondering what Lucario-sensei was up to, Naruto recalled some of the training the Pokémon had put him through…

(-o-)

_Elsewhere…_

Magma boiled and bubbled beneath as Lucario leaped from rock to rock across the lake of molten rock. Reaching the wall of the cavern, the fighting/steel-type began to climb. Leaping from ledge to ledge, outcropping to outcropping, handhold to foothold, Lucario made his way to an opening leading to the innermost chambers of this long-dormant volcano. As he entered the final cavern, a blast of furnace-air stopped Lucario in his tracks.

**Who dares enter my inner sanctum?** A great, golden eye cracked open and gazed down at the smaller blue and tan Pokémon below him. **Oh, it's you. What does **_**he**_** want now?**

Lucario knelt, one paw to his chest, the other to the steaming rock beneath. _Greetings my lord. Lord Arceus has given me a proposal for you to consider._

(-o-)

Naruto snapped out of his reverie as he hear Iruka call his name. "…Team Seven, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha. Your Jounin sensei will be Kakashi Hatake. Team Eight…"

Naruto groaned, not hearing what Iruka said after the announcement as he lamented his team assignment. _Oh lord, Sakura I can deal with, she's okay, despite the fact that she keeps hitting me and won't stop drooling over Sasuke-teme. But Sasuke…how am I going to deal with all that emo?_ Naruto mused silently as team assignments continued to be called out. _I gotta figure out some way to fix that…hm…_

(-o-)

**So, this…doodad you were talking about…if I agree, there's a possibility I'll be able to fight powerful opponents?**

Lucario nodded, panting slightly from the excessive heat emanating from the being before him. _Precisely, however, the energy cost would make it so that your presence on the battlefield would be rare._

**That just means I'll be fighting powerful opponents. If they're anything like that damned blue windbag and the green one, hehe. Where do I sign?**

(-o-)

Naruto scowled as he looked at the clock on the wall. _Right, if our new sensei is going to be this late, he has it coming._ Chuckling darkly, Naruto pulled out a brush and sealing paper. Oh, this was going to be good. Sakura glowered at the chortling blonde before sidling up to the slouching Sasuke.

"I bet Naruto's up to no good. What do you think he's doing, Sasuke?"

Sasuke didn't even look. "Hn."

Naruto began to giggle demonically as he began to set up around the door. _Oh man, I can't wait to see the look on his face…_ Naruto returned to his place, the look of sadistic glee and schadenfreude on his face sending shivers down Sakura's and Sasuke's backs. Naruto did not have to wait long.

Kakashi Hatake looked through the door window at the three genin that he would be teaching. Or rather, failing, seeing as no team of genin had yet to pass his 'tests.' He quickly began to analyze the ones he was expected to train. Kakashi looked to the black-haired boy. He was wearing a dark blue shirt, the red and white fan symbol of the Uchiha clan on the back. _Sasuke Uchiha. Last of his clan, doesn't have a sharingan yet. Hm. Avenger, possibly emo. Yeah, I can work with that._ He then looked to the pink-haired girl gazing adoringly at Sasuke in her red battle-dress and black shorts. _Sakura Haruno. Daughter of civilians. Hm, not a lot of chakra reserves, going to have to build those up. The potential is there. Those fangirl tendencies will have to go though. Still, she does have potential._

Kakashi turned his attention to the final member of his team. _Naruto Uzumaki. My have you grown._ Kakashi frowned beneath the mask that he always seemed to wear. _I could have sworn he was obsessed with the color orange. What happened to the kill-me-orange jumpsuit?_ Unknown to Kakashi, as soon as Naruto had graduated the Friday night after Mizuki had shown his true colors, the first thing he did was buy decent clothes under a henge (seriously, why hadn't he thought of that sooner?) and burnt his blindingly orange jumpsuit as soon as he returned to his apartment. Now, he wore dark-blue shorts and a tan t-shirt with short, black sleeves. Kakashi regarded Naruto carefully. _Let's see…whoa, chakra off the scale…yup there's sensei's seal…well that's still fine. Not as malnourished as I thought he'd be, that's good. Although, the Third did tell me someone has been looking out for the kid, so that's not a big surprise. I do know he likes pranks. How he painted the monument without being caught, and in broad daylight to boot, is beyond me._ Kakashi took note of the fingerless black gloves with engraved metal plates on the back. _Hm, those gloves have fuinjutsu seals on them. Wonder what surprises are in them? Well, no sense in delaying any further._ Kakashi gripped the handle and pulled it to the side.

The door slid open, dropping the eraser from the chalkboard. However, the masked jounin entering the room quickly leaned back, avoiding the falling eraser. He looked at the three graduates in the room, the one eye not hidden behind his plated headband giving them an unimpressed look. "You're going to have to try a lot harder than that to…"

A hissing from above him made the silver-haired jounin look up. "Shit." With a final sputtering hiss, the explosive tag curled around several pieces of chalk went off, covering the immediate area around the doorway. When the chalk dust settled, Sasuke gave a wry smirk, Sakura covering her gasping mouth (_Haha, direct hit!_) as Naruto fell out of his seat laughing at the now albino Kakashi. Kakashi glowered at the three eleven-year olds.

"Ok, my first impression, you're a bunch of idiots. Now come meet me on the roof."

With that, kakashi shunshinedaway in a swirl of leaves and chalk dust. Sasuke immediately dashed out of the room, Sakura chasing after him with hearts in her eyes. Naruto shook his head, deciding to take a shortcut. Concentrating, he sent chakra into the seals on his gloves.

"**Kinzoku Tsume! (Metal Claw)**" With a flash, the back of Naruto's wrists and hands were covered by armguards with two razor-sharp blades extending out over his knuckles, the tips of the four inch blades curved into deadly looking claws. Hooking his talons onto the outside of the wall above the window, Naruto began to claw his way up to the roof, iron blades digging into cracks in the wall. Quickly reaching the ledge surrounding the roof, Naruto flipped over the railings, resealing his Kinzoku Tsume into his gloves. Kakashi nodded.

"Blades sealed in the gloves. Maybe you're smarter than you look."

Naruto snorted. "Believe it!"

Sasuke slammed open the door to the roof, followed shortly by a gasping Sakura, both panting from running up the stairs, while Naruto wasn't even breathing hard from his arguably more strenuous vertical climb. "Well, now that we're all here, tell me a little something about yourselves."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Like what?"

"Oh, your name, things you like, things you hate, your dreams, your hobbies, things like that."

Sakura clasped her hands together. "Why don't you show us how it's done, sensei?"

"Alright." Kakashi leaned back against the railing. "I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate…eh, I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams…I had a dream last night. My hobbies…I have lots of hobbies." Ignoring Naruto's facepalm, Sasuke's indifferent eye-rolling and Sakura's faceplant, Kakashi continued. "Okay Pinkie, you first."

My name is Sakura Haruno, I like…" Sakura blushed at Sasuke. "Things I hate…" She glowered at Naruto, making him wonder what he did to deserve that. "My dream…" She blushed at Sasuke, much to his disgust. "My hobbies…"

Naruto snorted. "Chasing and drooling over Sasuke-teme_-_OW!" Naruto fell on his face, twitching as a red-faced Sakura pulled back her fist from bashing the top of Naruto's not inconsequently thick skull. Kakashi just shook his head mentally at their antics. He pointed to Sasuke. "Okay, dark and brooding, your turn."

Sasuke gave a long suffering sigh, rolling his eyes as he did so. He began to speak in a monotonous way. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things. And I don't particularly like anything." At this, Sakura 'awed' in disappointment. Sasuke ignored her as he continued. "I don't have a dream, because I will make it so, I will restore my clan and kill a certain someone." Naruto, having no idea what Sasuke was talking about, shivered as he hoped that the Uchiha's target wasn't him. Kakashi mentally shrugged. _Just what I thought._

Kakashi looked to Naruto. "Okay blondie, your turn."

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I like ramen, playing pranks, ramen, training, and ramen. I dislike traitors and people who hate blindly. My hobbies are training, eating ramen, and gardening. My dream is to one day be Hokage, so that I can protect those who can't protect themselves! Believe it!"

Kakashi nodded. _An excellent and worthy goal. Even after all he's had to go through. Sensei would be_ proud. "Well, now that we all know each other a little better, we'll meet tomorrow for our first mission." At this, Naruto began to jump in place excitedly, 'ooh-ooh-ooh-ing' in anticipation before he centered himself and calmed down. Kakashi noticed this self-control with interest before continuing. "It will be, a mission we all do together."

"What." It wasn't a question that came from Sasuke, but an arrogantly delivered demand.

"A survival exercise. Meet me-…"

"But we already did this stuff at the academy! Why do we have to do it again?"

Kakashi glanced at Sakura lazily, before chuckling creepily. "Because, out of the twenty-seven of you that graduated, only nine of you will become genin. So, if you'd rather not do this…"

Naruto spoke up quickly. "Um, no, no sensei, we'll do it. Right guys?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Hn."

"Good. I'll be the judge of whether or not you become ninja, so bring your ninja gear to the designated training ground at five a.m. tomorrow." Kakashi shunshined away in a swirl of leaves. "Oh, and you'd better skip breakfast if you don't want to throw up. See ya." And with that, Kakashi left the three graduates to their thoughts.

(-o-)

**So, how do I seal the deal?**

Lucario produced a round red and white device from a bag he wore. _All you have to do is place a drop of blood here on the button._

A mammoth steel-grey claw hovered above the round device, a drop of blood hanging off the tip. With an almost unperceivable _plip_, the drop splashed on the raised button of the device. Soaking in the blood, the ball glowed red before returning to its original state.

**Is that it?**

_Yes, my lord._

**Great, now get lost before I change my mind and make a snack of you.**

Bowing one last time, Lucario took his leave from the realm of the Continental Pokémon.

(-o-)

Naruto stood thunking his head repeatedly against one of the three posts standing in training ground seven. Sasuke and Sakura, though as bored as Naruto was waiting for their absurdly tardy sensei, were staring in morbid fascination at how Naruto was bashing his head against the wooden post hard enough to splinter it without any ill effects.

Sasuke was the first to speak. "Uh, _dobe_, how are you not hurting yourself?"

Naruto stopped banging his skull against the post long enough to respond. "It's a technique called _**Tetsu Bōei**_ (Iron Defense) where one channels enough chakra into their skin to make it as hard as iron. I'm trying to get it so that I can do it without thinking about it. I'm not having as much success as I wanted though. It still hurts. Ow." Naruto pulled his head back from where he bashed it against the post at his last words. "Right now, I can withstand blunt-force…um…"

Sakura offered a word. "Trauma?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, trauma, but sharp stuff can still cut me. Still, once I perfect it, with the _**Tetsu Bōei**_ and the way I can heal so fast, I'll be unstoppable, believe it!"

"Is that so?" The three academy graduates turned to see Kakashi standing at a large stone covered in names with several bags in hand.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi winced in pain at the pink banshee's screeching. Naruto wriggled a pinkie around in his ear, muttering to himself as he did. "Sweet Arceus, that was worse than one of Lucario -sensei's screech attacks."

Kakashi glanced at Naruto, remembering the cloaked figure from six years ago before turning his attention back to his students. "I got lost on the road of life."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh, sure."

Kakashi waved a hand flippantly. "Anyways, let us begin the test. I have two bells. If you don't want to go back to the academy, you need to get a bell."

"WHAT? BUT THERE'S ONLY TWO BELLS!"

Naruto clutched at his poor aching ears. "Yo, you wanna say that again, I can still hear out one ear."

"Well," Kakashi gave a disturbing smile, or at least, that's what the three graduates thought from the way his one visible eye seemed to squint and sparkle as he placed an alarm clock on a stump. "Then I guess one of you will be going back to the academy, huh?" Another eye-smile. "Be sure to come at me with the intent to kill. You have until noon. Begin."

The three would-be genin dispersed into the trees. Naruto unsealed his clawed gauntlets and used them to scale a taller tree. Perching on a large limb and resealing his gauntlets, Naruto closed his eyes and began to channel chakra to them. "**Zenchō no Nai (Aura Sense).**"

The darkness behind Naruto's eyelids began to glow blue as several blue figures danced before him, the thermal-vision-like patterns of different chakra signatures allowing Naruto to 'see' through the trees of the forest. A sharp, piercing scream of terror caused Naruto to extend his aura sense to his west, eventually finding a glowing signature lying on the ground several hundred meters away. _Whelp, unless duck-butt can scream that high, I'm gonna guess that was Sakura. Wonder what Sensei did to her. Where is Kakashi-sensei anyways?_

Naruto swept his aura sense to the east. _Hello._ Naruto observed a large aura signature moving through the woods, the chakra radiating from the body in question. _Sweet Kami and Arceus, even his aura signature looks like a duck's butt._ Naruto gawked as an even larger aura signature he could only guess was Kakashi-sensei began to battle with Sasuke. However, the fighting, if it could even be called that, was over as quickly as it started, as Kakashi appeared to dive into the ground before pulling Sasuke down until only his head was free.

Naruto began to chortle until he realized that Kakashi's signature had vanished. "Where'd…" A chill scurried down Naruto's back as he realized that someone was _very_ close behind him. "H-hey Kakashi-sensei. I-uh-saw what cha did to Duck-butt." Naruto didn't dare turn around or move, while Kakashi looked at the obscuring foliage, wondering how Naruto had witnessed that. "So, uh, what did you do to Sakura?"

"Oh, nothing really, just a genjutsu of a dying Sasuke."

"Using her fangirliness against her, huh?"

"Mm-hm."

"So, uh, what you got in store for me?" Naruto gulped silently as he got ready to run as surreptitiously as he could.

He didn't know how, but somehow Naruto just knew that Kakashi was eye-smiling at him. "Oh, nothing much, just something I like to call: **Konohagakure Hiden Taijutsu Ōgi: Sennen Goroshi (Hidden Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: One Thousand Years of Death)**" At those words, Naruto tried to jump away as Kakashi made a tiger seal with his hands as he thrust them forward.

"YARGH!" Propelled by the jump and the chakra enhanced strike, Naruto went flying through the air at the speed of a well-thrown kunai as he clutched at his bottom. With a final scream of humiliation and pain, Naruto crash landed in the clearing. "Ow." Sitting up, Naruto saw Kakashi standing there before him, nonchalantly reading a small orange book like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Is that all? I would have thought you'd do better. Oh well." Kakashi shrugged and went back to reading his book. Naruto snarled at him.

"Try this on for size! **Yomu (Leer)**"

Kakashi staggered back, the sheer weight of the focused killing intent making him momentarily drop his guard just long enough for Naruto to snag one of the bells. Naruto jumped away, grinning like an idiot as he landed next to a tree. "Ha! I got one-YARGH!"

Naruto found himself hanging upside down by one foot, a strand of ninja wire swinging between his ankle and the branch above him. Naruto looked at the branch, then the wire, then the bell lying on the ground where it had been dropped. "Well, nuts."

(-o-)

The rest of the test did not go well. As the only one who had managed to take a bell during the test, what with Sakura passed out (again) after finding what appeared to be the talking head of Sasuke and Sasuke still stuck up to his neck in dirt, Naruto was the only one who was given a lunch box, with Sasuke and Sakura tied to two posts. The only reason Team 7 passed their genin test, was because Naruto disregarded Kakashi's direct orders and shared his meal with Sasuke and Sakura. Kakashi showed up with a smile, having left to watch in secret, telling the three that they had passed, because "those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their teammates are worse than trash." And with those words, Kakashi had dismissed Team 7 for the day, with the exception of Naruto.

At the moment, Naruto was sitting before Kakashi. "So…what?"

The scarecrow of a Jounin tilted his head. "So, how'd you know what I did to your teammates? I know they weren't visible through the trees from where you were."

Naruto pursed his lips, before deciding that telling his new sensei wouldn't hurt. "It's a technique my first sensei taught me that lets me 'see' the aura…er…the chakra leaking off of people. I can't really move while using it, though, 'cause so far, I can't use it with my eyes open yet."

Kakashi nodded, tapping a finger to his chin. "Think you could teach me how to do it?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. I can only do it 'cause of Cuddles."

"Cuddles?"

"Cuddles." Naruto held a hand over his stomach, more specifically, the seal containing the Kyuubi no Yoko.

Kakashi stared at Naruto, trying to comprehend what he just heard. "Cuddles. You call the most powerful demon to have walked this Earth Cuddles?" Naruto nodded. "Is Cuddles how your killing intent was able to make me freeze?" Another nod. "How long have you know about…Cuddles?"

"Well…

(-o-)

_Four years earlier…_

Naruto came bouncing into the forest clearing outside of Konoha. "Hi Sensei."

_Greetings Naruto. How was your day today?_ Lucario was seated in a meditative position, shut eyes glowing as he observed the world through his aura sense.

"Terrible." Naruto stuck his hands in his pockets and kicked at a small rock. "Teachers still won't teach me anything. Only reason I learn anything is 'cause of you and the nice library-lady. The only teacher who actually teaches me is Iruka-sensei, but he won't be teaching my class for another three years." Naruto sighed. "They were supposed to teach us how to get out of a genjutsu, but all they did was throw me in one and fail me when I couldn't break it. It wasn't my fault they didn't tell me how."

Lucario didn't move from his seated position. _Well then, it is a good thing that I requested for Lord Arceus to send you someone to tutor you in the mental arts._

"Who?" Naruto looked around the clearing, but couldn't find anyone else. "Where is he?"

Lucario smiled warmly. _He should be here shortly._

No sooner had Lucario finished speaking, a pinkish portal was ripped out of the very air. Out of the tear in reality stepped a large, grey-skinned, bipedal catlike humanoid. No sooner did its thick, purple tail clear the edge did the spacial rend collapse in on itself. The tall Pokémon nodded to Lucario before turning to Naruto. _Greetings, I am Mewtwo. Lord Arceus has sent me here to help in your training. Specifically, I am to help you learn to control your mind._

Naruto scratched one of the whisker marks on his cheeks. "Um, why do I have to learn to control my mind?"

Mewtwo tilted his head, with what appeared to be amusement shining in his purple eyes. _From what Lord Arceus has told me of the ninja ways, I understand that there are several ways to alter an opponent's perception or overshadow said opponent. I believe you call some of them genjutsu?_

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Um, yeah, I guess…"

Mewtwo nodded. _Well then, to start with, let's take a look in your mind, so that we know what we have to work with._ Before Naruto could say or do anything, Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue as his three-fingered hand touched Naruto's forehead.

(-o-)

Naruto found himself standing in a dark, dank sewer, with filthy, black water dripping down the walls. He jumped as Mewtwo made his presence known.

_A sewer. Not quite what I was expecting from someone of your age. Then again, I am one to talk about strange mindscapes. _

A deep rumbling filled the sewer-like mindscape before a deep and dark voice shook the air.

**"It's about time you showed up. Eight years I've waited here. Could've tried meditation sooner, blast it! But nooo, you just run around, grinning like an idiot. Still, I do enjoy the pranks. Good stuff."**

Naruto turned around, and jumped back with a scream, hiding behind an impassive Mewtwo. "Who are you?" Naruto stared around the psychic Pokémon at the two enormous eyes that glowed red in the dark behind a set of absolutely titanic metal bars.

The massive shape moved forward, revealing a leviathan of a red fox with nine tails and rabbit-like ears. His voice like a passing freight train shook the sewers like an earthquake. **"I am the Kyuubi no Yoko, the nine-tailed fox. I know who you are, Jinchuuriki, but I do not know the large cat. Can't be Nibi, you only have one tail, and you're not on fire. So who are you?"**

Mewtwo stepped forward. _I am Mewtwo, the most powerful of physic Pokémon, second only to Lord Arceus himself._

The Kyuubi tilted his head, squinting down at the Pokémon. **"I have no idea what a Pokémon is, nor who this Arceus is."**

_I'm not surprised. We did just learn of this dimension ourselves._

**"Dimension? Is that like the summon realms?"**

Naruto raised a hand, interrupting Kyuubi's and Mewtwo's discussion. "Um, Cuddles? Didn't the Fourth Hokage kill you?"

** "Kid, I'm pure chakra, I can't be killed."** The Kyuubi paused as he considered what Naruto had called him. **"And don't call me Cuddles!"**

"But you look cuddly. And how come you can't be killed?"

Mewtwo stroked his chin contemplatively. _Chakra is energy, and energy cannot be created nor destroyed, it can only be altered._

"Huh?"

**"It means, energy, or chakra, can't be broken, it can only be turned into something else. How do you think shinobi can spit fire or throw lightning? They change their chakra."**

Naruto didn't quite understand everything the Kyuubi said, but he did know what 'Cuddles' meant by spitting fire and lightning. "That's so cool! Can I do that?"

**"I don't know about lightning, but my natural element was fire, so, it is possible that you'll be able to use katon."**

"Huh?"

The Kyuubi rubbed his face with a paw. **"You may be able to use fire thanks to me."**

Naruto began to bounce with glee. "Cool!" To both the Kyuubi's and Mewtwo's surprise, Naruto jumped between the bars and glomped the massive fox's just as massive paw. "Thank you Cuddles!"

The Kyuubi was so shocked that the boy who had suffered so much because of his presence was _hugging _him that he didn't even move. Mewtwo took that opportunity to pull Naruto out of his mindscape. _Naruto, come, it is time to begin training your mind._

Reluctantly, Naruto left the stunned kitsune and took Mewtwo's paw, fading from the mindscape. The Kyuubi was left alone, frozen and speechless in his cell in the sewers.

**"MY NAME'S NOT CUDDLES!"**

(-o-)

_Present day…_

…and that's how I met the Kyuubi no Yoko." Naruto finished his tale, omitting the details of Mewtwo and Lucario's appearances, as well of that of their abilities. Kakashi was understandable gobbsmacked.

"You went and hugged the most powerful demon in existence? And SURVIVED!?"

"Yeah. So?"

*THUD*

"Eh…Kakashi-sensei? Dang, I didn't even get to tell him about how I found what my main element is. Oh well." Naruto considered the passed out form of a foaming-at-the-mouth Kakashi. "Should I…? Nah, he'll be fine. Wellp, guess I'll be seeing him tomorrow then. Bye Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi could only twitch and gurgle as Naruto left the training grounds.

"Ghiodjwkligrgle…"

Omake

_The day before Lucario's rescue of Naruto…_

"Get the demon!"

"He deserves to die!"

The mob chasing a six year old stopped in front of a library, the target of their hatred nowhere in sight. One of the ringleaders turned to the torch and pitchfork waving group. "We need to destroy it! It doesn't deserve to live!"

"That's right! He killed my husband!"

"He killed my parents!"

"He destroyed my restaurant!"

"He stepped on my dog!"

"The Forth died because of him!"

"He turned me into a newt!"

The mob turned as one to stare at the man who yelled out last. He turned bright red and kicked at the dirt. "I got better." Suddenly, the man pointed down the street. "Look! There he goes!"

With a roar of anger the mob charged down the street, leaving the man behind. Smirking to himself, the man glanced at the library and made a handseal. "Kai!" With a puff of smoke, the man was replaced by an ANBU operative wearing a porcelain lizard mask. Chuckling to himself, he brought a hand to his ear, activating his radio.

"Newt here. Mob successfully diverted….Yeah, kid's holed up in the library…no, doesn't look like they're gonna kick him out this time…no, I don't know why…why? Because the kid's the reason why I was even considered to become ANBU in the first place…yeah, that's right…alright, roger that, Dog." With a swirl of leaves, the ANBU known as Newt shunshined away to follow the mob.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to everyone who has followed/favorite/commented on Aura Shinobi. It makes me happy that you are enjoying my writings.**

**DragonNOOB: To be honest, I'm not quite sure how sage mode will work, or what physical changes it will entail. However, I am open to suggestions, so please, fire away, let me know what you all think.**

**Guest: Thank you for your observation. I had completely overlooked that I had skipped the main character.**

(-o-)

"_Cherry Blossom, this is Scarecrow, any sightings on the target?"_

"_Negative, Scarecrow. Sorry."_

"_Scarecrow to Blue Boy, you got anything?"_

"_Hn."_

"_Hey guys! I got the cat!"_

"_What? How did you get the cat so quickly, dobe?"_

"_WHAT!? How dare you get the cat before my sweet Sasuke!"_

Kakashi sighed as the radio link between himself and his genins devolved into screaming and nasty insults. He looked up to find Naruto holding a disturbingly calm Tora. Considering that the cat belonging to the Daimyo's wife usually tried to scratch off the face of the person that caught it, Kakashi was understandably a bit scared at the feline's content purrs. He looked up at Naruto.

"What…exactly did you do to the cat?"

Naruto gave Kakashi a grin that reminded the jounin of a fox. "Just gave him some catnip."

Kakashi blinked. _Why didn't I ever think of that?_ He frowned. There were three voices yelling on the radio, and Naruto was right in front of him, petting a purring cat in silence. "Naruto."

"Yeah sensei?"

"Who's on the radio with Sasuke and Sakura?"

Naruto gave a foxy grin that made Kakashi a bit worried. "Just a shadow clone. I'm kinda wondering how long it will take them to notice it's not me."

Kakashi felt a bead of sweat roll down his temple. He sighed, then looked to the sky. "It's going to be a very long day, isn't it?"

(-o-)

"Team 7 reporting a successful mission."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up, a bit confused. "That was quick. You really caught Tora in only two hours?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "It would have been one hour, but Naruto had a shadow clone infiltrate our radio frequency, and I decided to use that as a teachable moment." The jounin glanced at Sakura and Sasuke on his left as Naruto snorted on his right.

"You mean, you couldn't get a word in edgewise for thirty minutes sensei?"

Kakashi grumbled a bit. "Well…yes…but I also used it as an example of what can happen when you violate radio protocol by using the signals to track them down."

Sarutobi chuckled warmly. "Well, I guess it's time to give you another mission then." Hiruzen pulled out a scroll and began to read from it. "Let's see…walking the Inuzuka's dogs…weeding the Yamamoto's gardens…" A scream and a cat's yowl caused Sarutobi to pause. "…catching Tora _again_…"

Naruto groaned. "C'mon old man, we've been doing D-ranks for months now. Can't we do a C-rank?"

Sakura stared aghast at Naruto. "Naruto! You can't just call the Lord Hokage 'old man.'"

Sarutobi held up a hand. "That's quite alright, Ms. Haruno. Kakashi, do you think your team is ready for a C-rank mission?"

Kakashi's eye turned into an upside-down U as he smiled. "I believe so."

The Third nodded. "Very well. Let's see…ah, here we go, an escort mission to the Land of Waves. A bridge builder from there has requested for a guard to protect him from bandits while he completes his latest project. Think you can handle it?"

"Believe it!"

"Hn."

"If my sweet Sasuke's doing it, so will I!" (_He's so hot!_)

Sarutobi smiled. "Excellent. Satomi, please send in Tazuna."

An older man staggered into the Hokage's office, smelling strongly of alcohol. Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, and the Third wrinkled their noses at the smell, while Naruto, his sense of smell heightened by the presence of the Kyuubi in his body, tried hard not to gag. The man, Tazuna, peered drunkenly at the assembled ninja. "Great. A Cyclops, a pink-haired girly girl, some duck-butt emo kid and a midget. I ain't exactly filled with confidence."

Naruto, ever sensitive about his below average height, scowled at the man. In another life, Naruto may have made a move to attack or threaten the old drunkard, but six years of training with Lucario had done wonders for Naruto's self control. That wasn't to say however that Naruto was going to let Tazuna's slight slide. "Hey Old Man, you get what you pay for. You payed for a C-Rank mission, genin do most C-Ranks. You want older ninja, you should have paid more."

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Well said, Naruto. I always did think there was something more to you than just pranks and impulsiveness."

Naruto grinned. "Believe it, you old dog."

The scarecrow of a jounin glanced sideways at Naruto. _How'd he know?_ He shook the thought away. "Well, I think we should leave first thing tomorrow morning. Pack for a month long trip and be at the south gate by seven." Kakashi turned to Tazuna. "Does that sound good to you?"

Tazuna waved a hand dismissively before taking a swig from his jug. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Kakashi bowed to the Hokage. "Well, then, if that's all, by your leave, Lord Hokage."

Hiruzen smiled warmly. "Dismissed." Bowing, Team 7 filed out of the Hokage's office, Tazuna staggering after them muttering about cocky midgets and cycloptic scarecrows.

(-o-)

Lucario leapt from tree to tree as he approached his current destination. Consulting his map of the area, the jackal Pokémon looked up to find a green, chibi-like fairy Pokémon floating before him.

_[Hey, 'Rio!]_

_Hello Celebi, how are you?_

The fairy Pokémon giggled. _[Good, good. I got those old fossils to agree for ya!]_

Lucario put his map away. _I hope it wasn't too much trouble._

Celebi giggled and flipped in the air. _[Nah, once I asked if they were interested in fighting really tough opponents, they couldn't say yes fast enough.]_ Celebi produced a bulb-like container. _[Got it all right here!]_

Lucario smiled at the forest guardian. _Thank you Celebi._ The fighting/steel Pokémon pulled out his red and white ball. _Just press it against the button here please._ Nodding in acknowledgment, Celebi pressed the plant bulb to the ball. As the bulb pressed the button, the ball split in two, absorbing the bulb and its contents in a flash of red light. _There, that should cover your involvement as well._

_[Yay! I can't wait to meet this guy!]_

_You may not have to._ Lucario smiled at the hyperactive fairy. _He does live a city surrounded by miles of forest. It is, after all, known as the Village Hidden in the Leaves. And now that the dimensions have been linked by the Creation Trio and Lord Arceus, you might very well be able to go there any time you want, with or without his help._

Celebi squeed. _[Ohmygosh! I hadn't even thought about that! Thanks 'Rio, you're the best!]_

Lucario chuckled. _My pleasure._

(-o-)

Naruto was the first to arrive at the South gate, soon joined by Sasuke who was followed by the love-sick puppy otherwise known as Sakura Haruno. Naruto was about to greet his teammates when he froze, a dumbstruck look on his face. Sasuke frowned at Naruto and waved a hand in front of the blonde's face. "Uh, dobe, you alright?"

Naruto's only response was to slowly lift a trembling hand to point over Sakura's shoulder. Turning around, Sasuke and Sakura froze themselves as they beheld Kakashi walking beside the bridge builder Tazuna towards the gate. Throwing their hands into a seal, the trio pulsed their chakra to dispel the genjutsu. Considering how chronically late Kakashi had been, never once arriving less than an hour late, the Genin's individual reactions were quite understandable.

"**KAI!"**

Sakura began to screech in terror. "SWEET KAMI, IT'S REAL!"

"It's the end of the world!" Naruto screamed and turned to flee, whereupon he ran smack into the open gate. "Ow…"

Sasuke merely stood there, his Uchiha pride refusing to allow him to do anything other than allow his eye to twitch. "Hn."

Kakashi looked up from his little orange book. "Mah, is it really that big of a deal? I thought you'd be happy that I got here on time."

"Yeah! If you'd been on time at all in the past months!" Thankfully, Naruto had opened his mouth before Sakura, sparing the ear drums of all present.

Before Kakashi could respond, he heard something that chilled him to the bone.

"Ah, my eternal rival, Kakashi!"

_Oh no, not __him__!_ Kakashi lazily turned his eye towards the speaker, taking in the man before him. Grimacing under his mask at the bowl-cut black-haired man in the green jumpsuit/orange legwarmer combo, Kakashi looked at the man that would more likely than not drive him insane one of these days. Resigning himself to his fate, Kakashi feigned boredom and apathy. "Hm? Oh, hello Guy."

The strange spandex-clad man, a jounin if the flak jacket and forehead protector worn as a belt was anything to go by, turned to Team 7, his absurdly enormous eyebrows wiggling on his face in pleasant surprise. "Ah, I had heard you had a most youthful team of genin this year, my eternal rival. Most youthful of you."

Naruto looked at the strange man warily. "So, uh, Bushy-Brows, who are you?"

"Who am I?" The strange jounin struck a pose, arm out straight, giving a thumbs-up as his teeth somehow sparkled as he smiled. "I AM KONOHA'S BEAUTIFUL BLUE BEAST, MIGHT GUY!"

As Guy finished with his spiel, another, shorter guy with wide, round eyes jogged up. "YOSH! Guy-sensei, my Flames of Youth burn brightly today!"

"Most excellent, Lee. Truly do your Flames of Youth burn brightly!"

The three genin of Team 7 shared one thought as Guy and the now named Lee. _Are they related?_ Meanwhile, fearing where this particular chain of events was leading to, Kotestu and Izumo, the so-called 'eternal chunin', slowly sank down to hide behind the guard-house's check-in desk.

Guy gave his blindingly bright smile as he introduced his mini-me to Team 7 and Tazuna. "Ah, this is my most youthful apprentice, the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha, Rock Lee. Due to a birth defect, he cannot mold chakra, and therefore strives to prove that one can be a ninja using only taijutsu. Isn't that right, Lee?"

"Yes Guy-sensei!"

"LEE!"

"GUY-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GUY-SENSEI!"

Suddenly, teacher and student embraced in a most _manly_ hug of youthful proportions, the waves crashing high on the rocky beach behind them, the sky painted red and yellow with the sunset.

The feared Sunset of Youth (patent pending, trademarked, and copyrighted by Might Guy) left various impressions on the fledgling Team 7.

Kakashi was sweating as he tried in vain to drown out the genjutsu by immersing himself in his precious Icha-Icha Paradise. _Oh Kami, not again!_

Sakura was sprawled on the ground foaming at the mouth and twitching all the while as she went into fits. _…gurgle…(…gurgle…)_

Naruto had jumped into Sasuke's arms, clutching the Uchiha's neck for dear life as he tried to dispel the genjutsu. _Kai! Kai! WHY ISN'T THIS WORKING!_

Sasuke was frozen, not even registering the boy held bridal style in his arms. _Hn…_

Inside the seal on Naruto's stomach, the Kyuubi no Yoko, AKA Cuddles, was hunched up like a scared cat in the farthest corner of his cage as he cut off his connection to Naruto's senses. _**It can't hurt me anymore, it can't hurt me anymore…**_

Tazuna stared at the Sunset of Youth, then at his bottle of sake. Maybe it went bad? After a moment of introspection, the bridge builder shrugged and took a long swig of sake, then peered carefully at the two spandex-clad huggers. _Yep…I'm drunk…maybe I should lay off the booze…nah!_ He took another swig of his sake. _Damn, that's good._

Hidden behind the check-in desk of the gatehouse, Izumo and Kotetsu were huddled together in what could only be described as the fetal position as they had made the mistake of peeking over the lip of the desk to see if the coast was clear.

Fortunately for everyone present, the genjutsu of YOUTH! disappeared as Lee and Guy broke contact. "I see that you are preparing for a most youthful mission outside of the village. I hope your mission is most youthful."

Kakashi, silently thanking Kami, Yami, the Shinigami, or whoever was listening that the Sunset of Youth was over, looked up from his little orange book. "Hmm? You say something, Guy?"

Guy visibly recoiled, almost face planting. "CURSE YOU AND YOUR HIP COOLNESS! Well, at any rate, my eternal rival, it was most youthful to see you again and to meet your most youthful team of cute genin. Come Lee, we shall run around Konoha 100 times, and if we can't do that, I'll climb the Hokage Monument with both hands and a foot tied behind my back!"

The mini-me smiled brightly. "YOSH! And if we can't do it, I'll do 500 pull-ups with my tongue!"

With that, and spine-chilling cries of 'YOUTH,' the Beautiful Beasts of Konoha disappeared in twin clouds of dust. Coming out of the traumatized daze he was in, Sasuke noticed that he was holding Naruto in his arms. Grunting in surprise (though he'd never admit it), Sasuke dropped Naruto on his butt.

"Ow." Naruto gave a dirty look to Sasuke, who glared right back.

Kakashi turned to his genin team and their client before Naruto and Sasuke could start bickering like they had been for the past few months. "Well, now that that's over, let's get going shall we?"


	6. Chapter 6

The trip to Wave Country started out quite dully once Sakura could be roused from her Youth-induced mini-coma. However, that is not to say that the journey was quiet. For the past two days of travel, Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi and Tazuna were treated to a constant stream of fangirl drivel spewing from Sakura's mouth non-stop about how wonderful Sasuke was, or how much cooler than Naruto Sasuke was, amongst other things. It had gotten to the point that Sasuke and Kakashi were actually hoping that the pinkette would lose her voice, Naruto was contemplating pulling out a roll from his vast collection of duct tape he kept in a scroll (never know when you'd need duct tape), and Tazuna was drinking more than usual in the hopes that the copious amount of alcohol he was drinking would make the trip go by faster.

Naruto was just about to pull out his duct tape when he noticed a puddle in the middle of the road up ahead. The strange thing was that it hadn't rained in days, and there were no bodies of water nearby. Seeing this tickled Naruto's memory, but he couldn't quite place that feeling. Coming to a quick decision, Naruto came to an abrupt halt.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei, I gotta go."

Sakura stopped spouting her ear grating Sasuke-worship, much to everyone's relief. "Go, go where idiot?"

Naruto deadpanned at Sakura. _And she's supposed to be the smartest in our class? _"What do you think?" Looking at Kakashi and receiving an affirmative nod, Naruto moved into the trees by the path. Whispering the name of his technique, Naruto sped through a few hand seals before channeling chakra to his closed eyes. "**Zenchou no Nai (Aura Sense)**"

The darkness behind Naruto's eyelids flared with the blue of radiating chakra. After taking a moment to orient himself, Naruto focused on where the lone puddle was. Under the influence of his aura sense, the puddle was revealed to be a genjutsu by the two human-shaped blobs of radiating chakra hiding within. Sighing in exasperation, Naruto dropped his technique and stepped out of the forests to join the group. Nodding to Kakashi in acknowledgment that he was 'done' with his 'business' while ignoring the indignant and impatient screeching of Sakura, Naruto followed the group as they continued down the road.

As they passed the puddle, Naruto came to another stop.

"You guys may as well come out, you're not fooling anybody."

At these words, before Team 7 could respond or react, two figures jumped out of the 'puddle.' Both men were dressed the same way and were obviously twins, though one was slightly taller than the other. Light glinted off of the pair of gauntlets shared between the two and their single and double-horned ninja forehead protectors. They looked at Naruto over their rusty-looking metal rebreathers.

"Hey kid, how's it goin'?"

"See you finally made genin, good on you."

Naruto smiled at the pair. "Hey, Gozu, Meizu, how've you guys been?"

Gozu slumped. "Not as well as we'd like."

Meizu nodded. "Yeah, our coup against Yagura didn't turn out so well."

Sasuke and Sakura were baffled, Tazuna appeared to be terrified, and Kakashi was trying to fight off a building migrane. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Naruto, how exactly are you on a first name basis with a pair of missing-nin, more specifically, the Demon Brothers of the Mist?"

Naruto put his hands on the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, you see, a few years ago, Lucario-sensei took me on a training trip outside the village, and we kinda ran into each other when we got attacked by bandits."

Meizu nodded. "By the way, how is the jackal?"

Naruto flapped a hand at the twins. "He's on one of his, erm, business trips. So, um, what exactly were you two doing in a puddle, anyways?"

Gozu scratched the back of his head with his ungauntleted hand. "Well, we were hired to kill the bridge builder."

Meizu nodded sadly. "It's not like we wanted to, but when Zabuza tried to say no, Gatou got his daughter Haku with a nerve toxin. Told Zabuza that if he wanted the antidote, he'd kill the bridge builder."

Kakashi frowned under his mask, still on guard against the missing Mist ninja. "Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Bloody Mist, wielder of the Kubikiriboucho and Gatou of Gatou Incorporated?" The brothers nodded.

Kakashi rounded on Tazuna, who appeared to be trying to hide himself in his sake bottle. "Explain. Now."

Tazuna sighed and began to explain the plight that Wave Country was suffering. Apparently, underneath the exterior of a successful shipping tycoon, Gatou was neck deep in all sorts of illicit and illegal enterprises. Not satisfied with what he had, the kingpin had set his sights on the island nation that was Wave Country. After taking control of the shipping in and out of Wave, using both legal and illegal means, Gatou had tightened his grip on Wave, starting with the quiet assassinations of the Wave Country Daimyo and his family. After Gatou had the fiancé of his daughter publically executed to make an example, Tazuna had had enough, and had begun construction of a bridge to the mainland in hopes of breaking Gatou's stranglehold on Wave. Upon hearing that Gatou was hiring ninja to take him out, Tazuna had taken whatever funds he could get to hire ninja for protection. The only problem was, even after scouring all of Wave Country, they only had enough ryo for a C-Rank mission.

"Please," Tazuna begged. "If we don't finish the bridge, Wave will die!"

Kakashi turned to Team 7. "So, anybody want to turn back?" Nobody moved. "I guess we continue on. However," Kakashi turned to Tazuna. "This mission is now an A-Rank. Since Wave Country is such dire straits however, we'll have to work out a payment plan later." Kakashi turned to the Demon Brothers. "Will we have to fight Zabuza?"

"Unless you have the antidote for Haku," Meizu said.

"Then Zabuza will do his best to kill you," continued Gozu. "Even if he doesn't want to."

Kakashi cursed inwardly before Naruto spoke up. "I got an idea." Everyone turned to Naruto. "If you guys," Naruto pointed at Gozu and Meizu. "Lay low, play dead as it were, then you guys can sneak into Gatou's base and steal the antidote. Then Zabuza won't have a reason to fight for the bastard."

Everyone stared at Naruto. Sasuke was the first to speak up. "Damn, dobe, that was actually a good idea. Never thought you had it in you."

Naruto shrugged, ignoring the veiled insult. "I have my moments."

Gozu and Meizu looked at each other, then nodded. "We like it. We'll be watching out from the shadows." With that, the two disappeared into the forests beside the path.

Kakashi turned to Team 7 and Tazuna. "Come on, let's get going. We need to get to Wave and quickly."

(-o-)

Lucario was consulting his map when a green flash caught his attention. "_Hello Celebi, I thought you were going to see Naruto?"_

Celebi shrugged nonchalantly. _[Well, I went, but I couldn't find him anywhere. But then I went to this BIG tower and heard some old guy saying that Naruto was out of the village on a mission! Isn't that awesome?]_

_"Quite."_ Lucario smiled. His protégé was already on a C-Rank mission (at the very least) and was making his teacher/guardian proud.

Celebi floated over to Lucario and draped herself over his shoulder, looking at the map in his paws upside-down. _[So, whatcha doin' now?]_

Lucario couldn't help but chuckle at the small green fairy as he pulled out a partially completed checklist. _"Well, plenty of us mundane Pokémon have volunteered already. All of the stationary legendaries, that is to say, the ones that have a permanent lair, have already agreed as well. Right now, I am trying to find the more nomadic legendaries."_

Celebi rolled over onto her stomach and pointed at a group of canine-esque Pokémon. _[What about them?__]_

_"I ran into them on my last trip."_

_ [Well, what about the Musketeers?]_

_ "They searched me out on my first trip."_

Celebi scratched her nose for a moment. Suddenly, with a grin, Celebi pointed at a pair of jet-like pictures. _[What about them?]_

Lucario gave an exasperated sigh. _"I've been trying to find them for several trips, but every time I get close, they up and vanish on me. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were playing with me."_

Celebi giggled. _[With those two, they probably are. I'll find 'em for ya and get them to come to you, 'kay? You just go and get whoever's left, so leave it to me!]_

Lucario nodded then looked at his list again. _"Actually, aside from those two, I only have the nightmare lord and his sister, then the Kami trio left to find. If I'm lucky, I'll be back before Naruto is."_

Celebi popped up off Lucario's shoulder. _[Yay! That's awesome! Okay! I'll go get them for ya! Later!]_ Lucario shook his head with a chuckle as he watched the hyperactive fairy fly off before dashing off in his own direction.

(-o-)

A few days later, Team 7 caught a boat owned by a friend of Tazuna to Wave Country. Before long, a massive shape made itself known through the thick mist.

"WOW, THAT THING'S HU-mmph!" Sakura's ear-shattering outburst was suddenly and mercifully cut off by Kakashi's hand clasped over her mouth.

"Shhh! Yelling like that is going to give away our position." Sakura had the good graces to blush in embarrassment from Kakashi's admonishment.

It wasn't long before the ninja and their client had disembarked from the small boat and bid the pilot farewell. About two hours into Wave Country, Naruto suddenly jumped into the bushes by the path and returned holding a white rabbit. While Sakura was busy berating Naruto for scaring her like that, Kakashi took note of the rabbit's unseasonal color.

_White fur, should be brown now that it's spring. That means that this rabbit was bred indoors, which means…_ Kakashi's eye widened as a low, menacing _whooshing_ caught his ear. "HIT THE DECK!"

Kakashi pulled Sakura down to the ground with him as Sasuke pulled down Tazuna. They all watched in horror as the spinning iron whirlwind bisected Naruto, only for 'Naruto' to burst into smoke as the spinning circle of death sliced halfway into a tree. As the smoke cleared, a tall, shirtless figure with snow-camouflage leg- and arm-warmers could be seen standing on the flat of an absolutely massive executioner's blade. Naruto reemerged from the bush, rabbit still in his arms as he took in the man's bandage covered mouth and nose and scratched mist forehead protector.

"Hey Zabuza, how's Haku doing?"

Zabuza sighed audibly as he saw the concern on the blonde's face. "Not good brat. Gatou's been supplying me with something to keep the poison at bay to ensure my loyalty, but she's not doing well." The former member of the Mist's Seven Swordsmen, a near legendary organization of master swordsmen from the Hidden Mist village, looked around cautiously. "Hey brat, the Jackal's not around, is he?"

Naruto shook his head as he petted the rabbit. "No he's on one of his travels. Do you really have to kill the old man?"

Zabuza nodded. "'Fraid so brat." He looked at the rest of Team 7 surrounding a heavily sweating Tazuna. "Huh, you got Sharingan Kakashi as your jounin sensei? Well, at least he should put up a decent enough fight."

Sasuke looked at Kakashi in confusion as the jounin lifted his forehead-protector, revealing a red eye with three pinwheels. _Sharingan? But he's not an Uchiha, isn't he?_

Before Kakashi could move though, Zabuza made a blitzing series of handsigns. "**Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden in the Mist Technique)**"

The already present mist thickened into a dense fog, cutting off visibility for all present. Naruto put the rabbit in a storage seal before rejoining Team 7 as Zabuza's voice echoed throughout the obscuring mist.

"Normally I'd start listing the eight instant kill spots and ask which you'd prefer, but right now, I really don't want to have to kill the old man."

Naruto tried to see through the fog. "Zabuza, you don't have to do this."

"I'm afraid I don't have a choice. It's either him, or Haku."

Naruto ducked as Zabuza's Kubikiriboucho, a colossal six-foot long, one-foot wide executioner's blade, passed overhead. Unsealing his clawed gauntlets, Naruto swiped at Zabuza, only for the missing-nin to dissolve into water. "Gah! Water clone!"

After a few more water clones were dispelled by Team 7, the mist cleared enough to for the three genin and Tazuna to find Zabuza standing on the water of the nearby river, Kakashi trapped in a bubble of water attached to the swordsman's outstretched hand. Ten new water clones of Zabuza flowed up from the surface of the river as they watched. The closest one turned to address the horrified Team 7. "You might as well give up, I really don't want to have to pull a 'graduating class' on you."

Sakura looked at the clone in confusion. "Hey Sasuke, what's he mean by 'graduating class?'"

"Zabuza is known as the Demon of the Bloody Mist for a reason, Sakura." Sasuke and Sakura turned their attention to Naruto. "To graduate in Kiri, you had to kill another class member. Zabuza," Naruto gestured at the real Mist nin. "Killed his year's entire graduating class." They turned to stare at Zabuza with even more horror.

"Now you see why you should give up?" The real Zabuza stared off into the distance behind Team 7. "Until you're in my Bingo Book, you're not a real ninja. Not giving up?" The Swordsman sighed. "Can't say I didn't warn you." At that, the myriad water clones started their attack.

After enduring several minutes of sheer hell, Naruto decided to do something stupid. "Sasuke!"

"What?" Sasuke ducked under a broad slash.

A water clone was dispelled, only to be replaced by two more. "Throw me at the big guy!"

"WHAT!?" Another water clone went down, minus a head.

"Throw me, I got a plan!" Naruto did a quick kawarimi with one of the many shadow clones jumping around.

"Are you CRAZY!?"

"Just do it!"

Sasuke dodged an overhead strike, then grabbed Naruto by the back of his shirt. Jumping onto a clone's sword as it passed by in sheer dumb luck, Sasuke pivoted and launched Naruto as hard as he could towards the real Zabuza and Kakashi.

Zabuza watched in bemused amusement at the oncoming screaming blonde. _Does he really think that will work? Well, nothing for it, I guess._ Zabuza lazily holstered kubikiriboucho on his back and held up his hand to catch the flying genin. "Really, kid, I'm an A-Ranked missing-nin, that ain't gonna…" Zabuza paused as the airborne thirteen-year old passed right through him like a ghost. "Heh?"

A pair of hands grabbing the arm imbedded in Kakashi's water prison made Zabuza look to his left. His eyes widened as he felt the absolutely absurd amount of chakra for any _jounin_ to have even half of pushing into the blonde kid's muscles. "Oh, shit."

Using the chakra-hardened water prison as a support, Naruto unleashed his attack. "**Jishin Nageru!**__**(Seismic Toss)**" Roaring the name of his technique, Naruto threw Zabuza off into the sky, where the cussing and yelling missing-nin seemed to disappear with a small twinkle of light. Naruto fell into the water as the water prison collapsed out from under him, leaving him floating face-up in the lazily flowing river, giggling deliriously.

"Hehehe, I got him." Giggling insanely, Naruto drifted off into unconsciousness.

Kakashi stood on the water and ran a quick medical diagnostic jutsu over Naruto's unconscious floating body. He grimaced at how the jutsu revealed how Naruto was essentially one big mass of strained, pulled and torn muscle. Fortunately, it seemed that Naruto's tenant was working overtime to repair the damage, if the red sparks dancing over his skin was any indication. Looking at the boy's chakra paths before covering up his implanted sharingan, Kakashi was startled to see that almost all of Naruto's chakra had been used up, leaving the boy with just under what he himself had. Glancing in wonder at the portion of the sky that Zabuza had disappeared into, Kakashi hefted the sleeping teen onto his back. As he made his way back to the rest of Team 7 and their client, Kakashi couldn't help but shudder. _If he's this strong now, how strong will he be once he's my age?_

(-o-)

Groaning at the end of a very long, freshly dug trench was a groaning Zabuza. Sitting up slowly, the missing-nin rubbed the back of his neck. "Damn, that bastard poisoning Haku has really thrown me off my A-game." Slowly getting to his feet, Zabuza looked around. "Really shouldn't have underestimated that kid. Where the hell am I?" Cursing as he realized how far away from Haku he was, Zabuza began making his way back to his hideout. "Thank Kami I left her with a blood clone. I can't imagine what that bastard would do to my little girl if I wasn't…what the hell?"

Zabuza pulled a piece of sealing paper off his bicep he hadn't noticed before. Channeling some chakra into the seal on it, he was a bit miffed at the letter that poofed out of it. Looking at the childish handwriting, the dark-haired man wondered just when the hell the blonde troublemaker had found the time to make this.

As he read the note, a devious and viciously evil smile spread across his face, his sharp shark-like teeth gleaming behind his combat wrappings on his face. Laughing in relief and anticipation, Zabuza leapt off through the trees as quick as he could.


	7. Chapter 7

Naruto groaned as he slowly cracked open his eyes, instantly regretting it as his optical organs were seemingly assaulted by a thousand exploding suns. "Oh good, you're awake." Blinking blearily, Naruto turned his head to the side.

"Oh, hey Kakashi-sensei." Sitting up groggily, Naruto shook his head clear. "What happened?"

Kakashi gave a wry smile hidden by his mask. "You tell me. You go and charge Zabuza, and somehow you go right through him, disappear, and then end up throwing him halfway back to Fire Country, doing a number on your body. If it wasn't for, uh, Cuddles, you'd most likely be crippled. Fortunately, the client's home was nearby. I brought you up to the guest room to recover. So, how did you do that?"

"Well," Naruto shifted into a more comfortable position. "The first thing was a genjutsu called otori (feint). By distorting the air using my chakra, I can make it look like I'm in one place when I'm actually a few feet over." Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "It's really the only genjutsu I can do."

Kakashi nodded sagely. "By warping the density of the air, you cause a refraction that creates a mirage. Clever."

Naruto blinked. "Um, yeah, isn't that what I said? As for the second thing, it's a technique called Tosu Jishin (Seismic Toss) where I flood my muscles with as much chakra as I can while grappling before tossing my opponent into low orbit." The blonde winced as he worked a few sore muscle groups. "Guess I overdid it, huh?"

Kakashi sighed at the antics of his subordinate. "Naruto, I don't want you to use that technique anymore unless it's an emergency or I give you the okay. It won't do you any good if you can't move afterwards."

Naruto sighed. "I understand sensei."

"Good." Kakashi moved for the door. "Now get some more rest. At the rate you're healing, you should be in top shape by the morning. Just in time for some training, alright?"

"You *yawn* got it." Kakashi smiled at how Naruto was already asleep. Closing the door behind himself, the jounin sighed. If his genin were to be ready for when Zabuza or Gatou made their move, he would need to stop slacking and teach them as much as he could in what time they had. _Darnit, should've asked Naruto how far he threw Zabuza. Well, at the speed he was going…we might have a week, if we're lucky._ Sighing, Kakashi went to brief his team for the next morning.

(-o-)

The next morning saw the introduction of Tazuna's daughter Tsunami, a buxom woman with blue hair. Shortly after breakfast, Team 7 found themselves in a clearing outside of Tazuna's house. Even with his super-fast healing, Naruto was hobbling around like a drunken cripple, though he was swiftly improving. Much to everyone's surprise, Naruto wasn't the only one recovering; Kakashi hopped outside after his genin on a pair of crutches.

Naruto blinked. "Hey Kakashi-sensei, I thought I was the mission's cripple, what happened?"

Kakashi chuckled in embarrassment. "Well, you see, my sharingan eye drains a lot of chakra. Had that battle with Zabuza continued for much longer, I probably would have collapsed from chakra exhaustion. As it was, after I checked on Naruto last night, I stumbled while going down the stairs and sprained my ankle. Don't worry though, my medical jutsus should get me up and running before we have to fight Zabuza." He took a look at Naruto. "From what Naruto told me, we should have about a week to prepare, given how hard Naruto threw him and what past experience says."

Sakura chose that moment to speak. "Well, Naruto should teach that technique to Sasuke, he'd be able to use it way better than he ever could."

Kakashi shook his head. "I'm afraid not. The wear and tear from that one technique did a number on Naruto. If he didn't heal as quickly as he does, it is most likely that Naruto would be crippled for the rest of his life. He also used the equivalent of three of Sasuke's full reserves in his technique."

Sasuke didn't seem to be too upset by this as he merely grunted. If anything, Sakura seemed more devastated than Sasuke ever was.

"Now," Kakashi continued. "I'm going to teach you how to climb trees without using your hands."

Sakura scoffed. "Climbing a tree without hands? That's impossible Kakashi-sensei."

Kakshi raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

Team 7's eyes bulged out collectively as Kakashi _walked_ up the side of the tree as if he was taking a stroll down the street, albeit on crutches. Walking out onto a branch, Kakashi stopped and hung there upside down. "You were saying?" Chuckling silently at his genins' expressions, Kakashi moved on with his lesson. "Alright, to do this, you need to channel your chakra to the bottoms of your feet. Too much, and you'll go flying, too little and you'll fall off." A kunai landed by the feet of each genin. "Use the kunai to mark how far you got. If you reach the top, then alternate walking and running up and down the tree until you collapse or I tell you to stop."

As the day went on, Sasuke and Naruto grew ever more frustrated as they made very slow progress, inching their way up the tree. Sasuke would run up the tree, only to slip about ten feet off the ground and slide back down. Naruto would run up the tree, only to get overly excited when he'd reach his highest mark. His next step would always be overcharged, sending the blonde rocketing across the clearing. He didn't even have to use the kunai to mark his progress: the craters trailing up th tree trunk were enough testament to Naruto's progress. Sakura on the other hand, had reached the top very quickly thanks to her perfect chakra control. However, as her chakra reserves were next to nonexistent, she had barely made it up and down the tree seven times before collapsing in a heap at the bottom of her tree.

It was to this scene that Kakashi arrived to, ducking under an airborne Jinchuuriki as he observed Sakura slumped over and Sasuke slowly sliding down his tree as he tried to run against the pull of gravity. Sighing, Kakashi called his students in for dinner.

A few days later, Kakashi and his team were planning their newest guard and training rotations. As they did this, it wasn't long before Tazuna's young grandson Inari came into the room. "Why do you bother fighting? You can't beat Gatou!"

Kakashi eyed Inari, the boy's face hidden under the bill of his baseball cap. His voice spoke of pain and loss. "Oh? Why can't we beat Gatou?"

"He's too strong!"

Defeat was clear in Inari's voice. Sakura was the next to speak up. "So what makes him so strong then?"

"He has an army of thugs. You can't beat him, it's impossible! Everyone who tries dies!"

Sasuke snorted. "Kid, we're ninja. We do the impossible every day. Besides, bandits don't stand a chance against ninja. Don't be so defeatist."

Inari's face was contorted with anger. "Shut up! You don't know what it's like to suffer!"

Suddenly, it got very cold in the house. It was if all the life had been sucked out of the room. Slowly, everyone turned to face Naruto, the air flickering and distorting around him as if a great amount of heat was pouring off him, yet no amount of warmth could be felt. Naruto's hand clenched tightly around the metal spoon in his hand. "We don't know what it's like to suffer?" Inari couldn't help but feel that his life was forfeited.

"Since the day I was born, I have been alone. My parents died the day I was born. The orphanage I lived in barely fed me and kept me away from the other children. When I turned four, they kicked be out onto the streets. A week later, the village leader found me and gave me an apartment. But it didn't stop there. Every so often, a mob would come after me for some imagined slight or crime I hadn't committed. I have been cut, stabbed, burned, and tortured so often I'm surprised I don't have any scars. A few doctors would try to poison me instead of helping me, though fortunately most of them stuck to their oaths. I've had my skull caved in so many times that I have blanks in my memory! And it's worse on my birthday. Every year, the civilians try to hunt me down. The shinobi help, but there's only so much they can do. To top it all off, the civilian council keeps trying to have me executed for no good reason, and civilian stores refuse to sell to me, overcharge me, or sell me faulty or spoiled merchandise. **So don't you DARE say that no one else knows what it's like to suffer!"**

Shrinking away from the almost inaudible demonic echo in Naruto's voice, Inari ran from the kitchen. Naruto stood up from the table. "Kakashi-sensei, I'm going training before I do something I regret." Kakashi nodded, and Naruto left the room. The rest of Team 7, Tsunami and Tazuna stared at the warped and twisted metal spoon that had been crushed in Naruto's fist as the front door slammed shut. Sakura looked at Kakashi in horror.

"I-is that all…true? It can't be real, can it Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi sighed. "I'm afraid it is, Sakura. Naruto has been hated by the civilians in the village since he was a newborn through no fault of his own. For the most part, the shinobi don't feel the same way, but there are enough of them to make Naruto's life even more difficult. His landlord was replaced for trying to cheat Naruto out of money and commodities, and his schooling was always sabotaged by biased teachers. If it wasn't for a stranger to the village saving Naruto from a mob and taking him under his wing when he was six, I shudder to think of what he'd be like today."

Sasuke was struck by just how much worse Naruto's life had been compared to his own. Sure, his brother had killed off the rest of their family and mentally tortured him with an advanced genjutsu, but at least he'd had a family at some point. Naruto, he had nothing and no one for the longest time. A small modicum of respect wiggled its way into Sasuke.

Sakura was horrified at the story that her teammate and team leader had spun. "H-how come the Lord Hokage doesn't do anything?"

Kakashi sighed. "Before the Third Hokage could be reinstated after the death of the Fourth Hokage, the civilian council snatched as much power that they could get their grubby hands on. As such, most of the things that the Lord Hokage has tried to do for Naruto have been shot down or bogged down in red tape. It's been getting better, but Lord Sarutobi still has a lot to do to regain those powers taken by the council."

"But, still," Sakura was looking lost. Her mother was on the civilian council, though she had always told her about the idiots on the council picking on some poor kid. Was that Naruto? "Why do so many people hate Naruto?"

Kakashi's mind spun into overdrive. He had to say something that made sense, but he couldn't tell or even imply about the fox currently residing in Naruto's gut. The mere fact that he had been born on that night… "Naruto was born the night that the Kyuubi no Yoko, the nine-tailed demon fox attacked Konoha. As such, many of those who dislike Naruto think that he's the demon reborn, that the Fourth Hokage turned the Kyuubi into a human baby with no memories of his past life."

Sasuke snored. "Civilians are idiots. Can't see the cup for the water."

Tsunami was near tears. "That poor boy. So young and yet has been through so much." Tazuna agreed. It was enough to make him drink…even more.

Kakashi gave a deep sigh. "Naruto has put that behind him, for the most part. Don't shower him with pity. He doesn't want or need it. He dropped that mask years ago. Just treat him as you would anyone else. It's probably the most he'll ever ask of anyone." Kakashi took in everyone's expressions and the awkward, uncomfortable silence in the air. "Let's get back to work, shall we?"

(-o-)

Zabuza staggered into his hideout with a relieved sigh. Everything was still there. Nodding to his blood clone, Zabuza sent it out to stand guard. Sitting next to the single bed in the room, Zabuza stared sadly at his adoptive daughter. Her normally pale face was even paler, sweat glistening on her. Chills wracked her body, ironically so considering she had the Hyoton, or ice nature bloodline. An IV bag filled with nutrients was linked to her, her inability to keep anything down thanks to the poison necessitating feeding nutrients directly into her bloodstream. The Demon of the Mist brushed a lock of Haku's hair out of her face, feeling how hot her forehead was. "Hold in there, kid. Everything's going to be over soon."

"You got that right."

Zabuza didn't even turn around. "Gatou."

The short 'business-man' was flanked by a pair of ronin samurai. He gestured at Zabuza with his cane. "How come the bridge builder isn't dead yet?"

"He isn't dead yet," Zabuza turned to face his 'employer.' "Because I underestimated his protection. Rest assured, he will be dead at the end of the week. I'll need that time to prepare."

"Oh?" Gatou looked skeptical. "And what pray tell, do you need time to prepare for?"

"One of the ninja the bridge builder hired has a dojutsu. I need the time to finish my countermeasure."

Gatou sneered. "So much for ninja, you can't even beat children. Very well, you have until the end of the week." He leered at Haku's shaking body. "You better hope for her sake that you succeed." The slimy shipping-tycoon turned to leave.

"Gatou." The man turned to look at Zabuza, the ninja's back to him. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Sneering, Gatou gestured to one of his men, causing his bodyguard to throw something to Zabuza. The missing-nin caught it without looking. "Remember. One week."

Zabuza listened until Gatou and his two goons were gone. Sighing, he went to the IV Bag. Taking the syringe Gatou's henchman had given; he injected the contents into the line. After a few minutes, Haku's shaking subsided and her face regained some color. Sighing, Zabuza looked out the open window. "I hope you know what you're doing, brat…"

(-o-)

Gatou sat at his desk in his private office, his two ronin bodyguards standing before him. He poured himself a glass of wine. "I don't trust Zabuza. Send word out to the various bandit groups. I want enough men to take him out."

The two disgraced samurai shared a look before one spoke up. "Why would Zabuza turn against you? You hold his daughter's life in your hands."

His partner continued. "Besides, won't Zabuza be able to kill most of the bandits we hire? He is a ninja, after all."

Gatou chuckled as he stood to access his hidden wall safe. "Oh I know, but I don't trust ninja." He opened the safe. "Besides, the more he kills means the fewer I have to pay, and I can turn the so-called demon in for the reward money. It's win-win." Gatou put his latest balance book in the safe and closed the door, never noticing the missing vial that used to be in the back.

(-o-)

A few days later Naruto woke up. He had spent most of the night training, finally able to reach the top of the tree the day before and had been trying to make it so that it was second nature. Getting dressed, he saw a note on the nightstand.

-_Naruto,_

_You were still sleeping when it was time to leave to protect Tazuna at the bridge. You've been working so hard at training that I decided to let you sleep in. Come join us at the bridge when you get up._

_Kakashi-_

A scream from downstairs broke Naruto from re-reading the letter. Vaulting through the door and down the stairs, Naruto saw two ronin menacing Tsunami and Inari. Inari, having been talked to by Kakashi about heroes, sacrifice and strength, Ran at the ronin with a kitchen knife, only to be kicked away with barely a glance in his direction.

One of the ronin licked the flat of his katana. "Look, you can either come with us quietly lady, or…"

His companion chuckled evilly. "Or we can kill the kid and take you with us anyways. So what's it gonna be?"

"How about you two go to hell?" The two ronin were knocked to the ground, Naruto's bladed gauntlets sticking out of the back of their skulls. Pulling his gauntlets free, Naruto wiped the blades clean on the corpse's clothes. He grimaced. What he'd been told was true, the killing never did get any easier. At least he wasn't vomiting and bawling like he had after his first kill.

Naruto turned to Tsunami and Inari. "You guys okay?" Tsunami nodded, while Inari looked like at Naruto like he was god.

Tsunami held Inari tightly. "They said something was happening at the bridge."

Naruto nodded. "Got it. Keep the door locked, get somewhere safe, alright?"

Not waiting for a response, Naruto ran out the door, gauntlets still on his hands. Halfway to the bridge, a shadow blurred out of the forest and ran next to the blonde genin.

"Hey kid." Naruto looked aside at Meizu. "We got the anitidote to Haku. Gozu is watching her; I'll be joining him shortly. You let the boss know, alright?"

Getting an affirmative from Naruto, Meizu split off from the boy and disappeared back into the underbrush. Before long, Naruto came upon a thick patch of fog covering the end of the unfinished bridge. Diving in, Naruto made out the forms of Kakashi fighting Zabuza while Sasuke and Sakura covered Tazuna from any sneak attacks.

Coming to a halt next to Kakashi, Naruto looked at Zabuza. "Hey Zabuza, Meizu and Gozu got the antidote to Haku."

Zabuza lowered his zanbatou. "Great, let's end this charade, then." Focusing his chakra, the Demon of the Mist let the fog dissipate. As the mist lifted, an arrow hit Zabuza in the back of the knee and pierced through the kneecap. Crying out in surprise and pain, Zabuza collapsed to his good knee while leaning on Kubikiribochou.

"Well, well, well. So, throwing away your daughter's life are we, Zabuza? I heard the kid say you got her the antidote, but what makes you think you think I can't just send my men over there to kill her?" Turning to his assembled army of bandits, Gatou cleared his throat. "Whoever kills the ninja get a cut of their bounties and whoever kills the bridge builder gets paid double!"

Snarling, Zabuza tried to stand, but his leg gave out from under him. "Damn it!"

Smirking, Gatou eyed Sakura before addressing his thugs again. "If you leave the girl alive, feel free to have as much fun with her as you want."

At this, Naruto's blood began to boil. An animalistic growl escaped from the back of his throat. He began to slowly step forward as his features grew more feral. His teeth and nails lengthening and growing sharper, his eyes becoming red and slit-pupiled, and his hair taking on a consistency more appropriate for thick fur, all worked to make Naruto's appearance more fearsome.

Then, as the growling reached a peak, a blood-red aura came into being around the blonde. An oppressive feeling of dread and doom filled the air as a single tail coalesced from the aura around Naruto's tailbone. Kakashi stared in horror. _Is the Kyuubi escaping?_ As the aura around Naruto thickened, his gauntlets warped before shattering into pieces under the corrosive chakra's influence. Sucking in a deep breath of air through his blackened lips, Naruto let loose with a bowel-loosening, ear-splitting roar.

As the army of thugs crapped themselves or tried to run, Naruto blitzed forward in a charge, leaving Zabuza, Tazuna and Team 7 behind in shock. Disappearing in a flash of speed, Naruto reappeared in the midst of the thug army.

"**Oniton: Kage Tsume (Demon style: Shadow claw)"** Several bandits around Naruto fell to pieces as the blood-red aura around his hands stretched into razor claws, the claws passing through flesh and seemingly leaving rends in the air itself.

Several arrows stabbed into Naruto's side before dissolving under the corrosive influence of the Kyuubi's chakra. Turning to the bank of archers before him, Naruto sucked in a massive amount of air, the suction causing several of the thugs to fall over or loose balance. **"Oniton: Fukisuna Kaze (Demon Style: Ominous Wind)"** A black wave of repulsive wind laced with the Kyuubi's chakra blew over the bandits, the caustic nature killing several outright as their flesh eroded while the rest were all incapacitated.

A group of ronin ran at the demonically charged genin. Snarling, Naruto gathered the Kyuubi's chakra into his mouth before hocking it up as if spitting a loogie. **"Oniton: Shadōbōru (Demon Style: Shadow Ball)"** The blob of dark red chakra landed amongst the grouped ronin. Exploding outwards, the shadow ball had similar results to the ominous wind, killing several and leaving the rest to flee or die a slow and painful death.

Back on the bridge, Team 7, Zabuza and Tazuna were joined by a recently revived Haku being supported by Gozu and Meizu. Staring at the carnage at the end of the bridge, they all watched in horrified awe as Naruto tore through the panicking bandits like a razor through flesh. Finally, Gatou and his two bodyguards were the only ones left.

The two bodyguard's charged forward, katanas raised. The first was caught by two chakra claws before he was torn grisly in half. The second dodged another shadow claw attack and slashed at Naruto's face, blinding him in one eye. Before he could attempt to follow up, a chakra claw caught the surviving bodyguard and squeezed. As the two halves of the man fell to the ground, Naruto slowly turned towards Gatou.

Whimpering pitifully, Gatou turned to run, but was brought to the ground as something snagged his ankle. Rolling over, Gatou saw an arm of chakra extending from the red-shrouded boy's outstretched arm clutching his ankle. Screaming in terror, Gatou clawed at the ground to get away as the contracting chakra arm pulled him closer to the demonic child behind him. A red-cloaked hand clutched around the fat man's neck and hoisted him into the air.

Gatou tried to bargain for his life, but the claw around his neck was cutting off all air to his lungs. Bringing the sniveling weasel to his face, Naruto forced chakra into his brain. **"Oniton: Akumu (Demon Style: Nightmare)"** Gatou screamed as horrors assaulted his imagination before his heart burst from the terror. Dropping the corpse in disgust, Naruto roared into the sky as his rage dissipated along with the cloak of Kyuubi chakra. Falling to his knees, Naruto passed out as red chakra began to heal his various wounds.

(-o-)

Naruto opened his eyes to find himself in a vast forest. **"Dang kit, when you get mad, you don't mess around, do you?"**

Naruto turned around to see the Kyuubi lying down behind him, a bronze collar replacing the jail cell bars the same way Naruto's sewer mindscape was replaced with a forest. Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I kinda lost it when the teme referred to Sakura as a prize to be given away." He looked around. "So, what's the damage this time?"

The Kyuubi rose to his feet while shrinking down to the size of a regular fox. **"Well, there's several cuts and bruises covering your body, along with a few cracked bones and torn ligaments. In addition, that last thug you killed nearly cut out your eye."** The Kyuubi held up a hand-like paw as Naruto worriedly covered his left eye. **"Don't worry. I'm already fixing it as we speak. However, before I continue, I want you to know that I can improve it for you." **

Naruto put his hand down and raised an eyebrow. "How would you do that?"

"**Well, you know the aura sense technique you can do?" **Naruto nodded. **"I can turn that into a kekkei genkei. That way, you'd be able to use it on the fly and without having to go through a bunch of hand seals. I'd have done it already, but the seal won't let me do anything short of healing you without your permission."**

Naruto nodded. "Go ahead. You've got permission, believe it!"

The Kyuubi sighed. **"I really thought we'd taken care of that. Oh well. Alright, time for you to leave, I think there's a few people who want to speak with you. I'll let you know when your eye is fixed."** Naruto faded from the mindscape as he woke up.

(-o-)

When he woke up, everyone was notably worried for him. Naruto quickly reassured everyone that he was going to be okay before pulling Kakashi to the side and telling him about his conversation with the fox. While worried that the fox was trying to influence his student, Kakashi agreed to keep Naruto's fledgling new bloodline a secret until he could tell others himself.

With Gatou and his bandits gone, construction on the bridge went by quickly. It wasn't long before construction was all completed.

"Do you guys really have to go so soon?"

Naruto nodded to Inari, his left eye covered in bandages. "Yeah, I'm afraid so. I mean, we'd love to stay, but we need to return home." Seeing Inari's downcast look, Naruto gave a foxy grin. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be back someday. Gives everyone something to look forward to." As Inari's face lit up, everyone said their goodbyes. Waving farewell, Team 7 crossed the bridge for Fire Country and home.

Had they stayed a bit longer, they would have heard Tazuna and the grateful townsfolk name the bridge "The Great Naruto Bridge."

Before long, Team 7 was confronted by Zabuza. Kakashi eyed him warily. "Hello Zabuza, how can I help you?"

Zabuza sighed as Haku and the Demon Brothers joined him. "I was hoping me and my, eh, family could seek asylum in Konoha."

Kakashi blinked, along with the rest of Team 7. They had not been expecting that. "I'm sure the Lord Hokage would be delighted to have ninja of your skill join the village, but if I may ask, for what reason do you want to join?"

"I'm tired of running." Zabuza leaned against a tree. "I'm tired of having to constantly watch my back day-in and day-out. I'd like to be able to relax without having to worry about Haku, and after what happened with Gatou, I don't think we can afford to be on the run for much longer."

Kakashi nodded. He could understand that. "Alright, follow us then. I don't think I have to tell you 'no funny business,' do I?"

"Nope."

Before long, the eight ninja were leaping through the trees heading for Konoha, and hopefully, home.


End file.
